Decaying Rose
by SilvertonguedSerpent1895
Summary: Strength. Determination. Power. A true family. A demon comes into play to achieve one goal. Continuation of Black Rose at Ouran, though all you really need to know is that Ciel and Bassy have gone to Ouran. Need to know Black Butler season 2. Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or Black Butler. *Adopted from black blood of the red rose
1. Wounds

**A/N: Just so ya know, all this is Kyoya POV unless I say otherwise. Also, I adopted this story from black blood of the red rose, so I apologize in advance if you hate what I do with it. Feel free to review, whether you like the story or not. Even if you just say that it sucks and I should go die with a cake on my head, at least you're giving me an opinion. So, I beg you. Please review! :)**

* * *

I ran down a long, dark corridor, trying to escape the red eyes that had been following me. My destination was just ahead, a lone door at the very end.

I stretched out my arm, only to be snatched back by a dark figure. A cold hand wrapped around my waist, another on my shoulder. An icy voice whispered in my ear as I struggled to breathe. "Come now, did you really think it would be so easy to escape?"

I woke suddenly, gasping for breath. I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers becoming moist. The same nightmare had haunted my sleep for the past three months. It was a miracle I didn't call in sick, but I couldn't slack off.

* * *

5:53 AM

I still had a little over two hours before I had to leave. Might as well take a long shower and maybe go over some papers.

I let the towel fall onto my shoulders as I left the bathroom, not yet bothering to put on a shirt. I turned on a small lamp, just enough to illuminate the area around the desk. I gazed down at the scars and scabs on my wrists, memories arousing. I shook my head, scattering my thoughts, and set to work, scanning my records and notes. The budget seemed to be good; the magazines were selling exceptionally well. Though most of the days were filled with ridiculous events, nothing too abnormal occurred.

* * *

7:05 AM

I sighed, gathering the papers, neatly filing them in various folders, and began to dress for the day, when a shrill sound interrupted the peaceful silence. I turned and glared at the alarm clock. _I forgot about the stupid thing,_ I thought as I stalked over and unplugged it, tossing it across the room.

* * *

7:12 AM

I pulled my lips into a thin line. Still so much time left...

* * *

7:55 AM

After about 45 minutes of studying, I set off toward the limo.

"Good morning, master," the bald driver greeted as I slid into the car.

"Good morning." I replied simply, not up for conversation.

Soon, the large car arrived at the giant pink building, the warm breeze swaying the cherry trees. I straightened my tie and pushed up my glasses before getting out.

* * *

9:45 AM

I sat in the brightly lit room, observing the events before me. There was teasing, shouting, giggling, squealing, and crying. The usual.

My hand moved slowly across the page as I chronicled the scene before me.

"Mommy! Make the two demon children be nice!" the King complained to me.

I let out a long sigh. "If it is such a problem, simply remove yourself from the conversation. You are the one that always gets sucked up by their taunts."

Tears rimmed the blond boy's eyes. He abruptly crouched in a corner and began growing mushrooms. "Why is everyone so mean to me?" he muttered sullenly.

The twins ignored their ruler, quickly moving on to tease our "natural type".

The usual.

* * *

4:45 PM

After a long day of hosting, I was glad to be rid of the club. My patience had begun to dwindle more and more over the past few days, though I wasn't thrilled to return home, either.

* * *

5:15 PM

I sat down at the grand table, across from my eldest brother. I ate in silence, ignoring the conversation going on around me.

As expected, my father's dark side soon began to emerge. He turned to my mother, false sweetness layering his voice so thickly that it took me a moment to realize it was he who was speaking. "Dear, why don't you go ahead and retire? I know how hard you work. Besides, I wouldn't want to bore you with the business I conduct with our sons."

She smiled broadly, completely oblivious. "Of course, dear. But don't be too long. I have some questions about the medical branch of the company."

"Very well."

I knew what would follow as soon as my mother left the room. It happened nearly every night. My father turned toward me with a dark glint in his eyes. "So, Kyoya, are you still with that silly little host club of yours, or have you moved on to more profitable ventures?"

I answered calmly, not looking at my father. "I remain at the club, sir."

He stood and casually walked over to me, laying a hand on my shoulder. "I see... That will prove a problem, my son. Take a look at your brothers." He gestured to my two elder brothers, who sat stiffly in their chairs, staring at their plates; they knew what would happen just as well as I did. "While in high school, they invested in more profitable activities, such as business and stocks. But what does that petty little club do for you? Nothing."

I hadn't any time to brace myself before a sharp pain struck my gut, knocking the air out of my lungs.

But my father didn't stop there. Wielding a kitchen knife, he grasped my hand, raised it above my head, and began to carve into the center of my left wrist, barely an inch below the palm. Warm blood trickled down my arm, forming a pool at my collarbone. He smeared the bloody knife across my cheek. "You should start following in your brothers' footsteps. Just because you can't own part of the company doesn't mean I'll let you disgrace the Otori name."

The knife dropped to the table with a harsh clatter, causing my brothers to flinch. Though they had never been hurt, they still feared my father.

My father signaled his two eldest sons to follow him as he left the room. I sat in silence, not caring about the blood staining my uniform.

* * *

5:30 PM

I bandaged my wrist after cleaning the wound, a nightly ritual for me. I crumpled my bloodied clothes and shoved them into my bag, making a mental note to get rid of them later. I lifted my shirt to examine my stomach. A blue-green bruise was already beginning to form. Though these injuries were a nightly occurrence, I always had to remind myself to remain strong. I had gone through so much for the host club, and I wasn't about to back down now. I didn't want my pain to be for nothing. I wasn't much closer to my goal, but I hoped that answers would come soon.

* * *

6:45 PM

Packing up my textbooks and the rest of my homework, I readied myself for bed. Although it was early, I needed to get as much sleep as I could. I had already mapped out the next two weeks' events for the Host Club, planning cosplays that would cover my wounds. My eyes were closed before my head had hit the pillow.


	2. Midnight Visitor

1:56 AM

I woke with a start. Naturally, it was the same dream I'd had the previous night._ I guess it wasn't a good idea to retire so early_, I thought.

A warm feeling spread across my palm, and I shakily turned on the bedside lamp to see the blood slowly seeping through the bandage wrapped around my wrist. I stood and made my way to the bathroom, but paused halfway when a dark presence filled the room, and a chill danced its way down my spine. I ignored the feeling and continued on.

When I reached the sink, I peeled off my bandage and blood trickled from the wound. _I'm surprised I haven't had major blood loss yet._ I ran cool water over the cut, reminding myself that this was all for the host club. I would stand with them for as long as I lived, and someday I would break away from the Otori family business to start my own. I would make a name for myself as something other than "Shadow King" or "poor third son".

After wrapping my wrist in clean gauze, I left the bathroom, and was filled with dread the moment I entered the main room. This time, I could not ignore the feeling.

"Now isn't really a polite time to drop by." I announced, covering my surprise with irritation.

"I did say that my travels could bring me to Japan, didn't I?" replied Ciel Phantomhive. He was dressed in blue and black Victorian-style noble's clothing, his dark brown cane precisely his size, with a large blue gem glittering at the top.

"And you chose to arrive in the night because...?"

"I have a proposition for you, Kyoya Otori. I will help you to achieve your goal of breaking free and surpassing your father."

"In exchange for what, exactly?"

"Your soul. Seems to be a rather fair trade to me."

"So you are actually a demon, like that butler of yours. The last time we met, you claimed to be human."

"Yes. Long story short: I died, thus turning into a demon. Because of this, Sebastian will remain my butler forever."

"My, you certainly have managed quite a bit in the two months since we've seen each other."

He shrugged, a smirk playing across his face. "What can I say? Trouble finds me. Now, about the deal..."

"I'll take it. The sooner, the better."

"Quite greedy, aren't you?" A shadow fell over the room as black feathers rained down around Ciel, all but obscuring him from my view. He transformed into what I assumed to be his true form: his eye blurred to a mixture of purple and red, his tall black boots shifting into metal, his cane elongating into a sword nearly as tall as Ciel himself. A black, forked tail twitched around his left leg, and as I peered closely, I could see a pair of great black wings folded across his back.

He propped the great broadsword on his shoulder, looking at me curiously. "Where shall we put your seal, my friend? The more visible the mark, the stronger the bond, after all." He smiled wickedly, revealing frighteningly pointed teeth.

"P-Put it wherever you like. You choose, demon." I stammered. His true form was quite intimidating.

"Oh, I've been demoted to demon already?" He clutched at a nonexistent wound on his chest. "Very well. Let's put it on those scarred arms of yours, shall we?"

He was suddenly very close, gripping my freshly bandaged wrist. Ciel quietly undid the bandages and squeezed blood from the wound. I gasped in pain, and he chuckled, tightening his grip to keep me from running away. With his free hand, he stabbed his sword into a crack in the floorboards behind me, blocking my only escape route. The pain in my wrist increased until it was so excruciating that I thought I might faint. I opened my mouth to scream, but found that no sound came out. After what seemed like an eternity, he released my wrist and solemnly bowed down in front of me.

I examined my wrist, ignoring the blood. Etched there was a blue pentagram with a detailed rose in the center, surrounded by a ring of thorns. I looked up, surprised to see that Ciel had the same mark atop his left hand.

I took a shaky breath to collect my thoughts. "Y-You can get up." I motioned for the boy to rise.

Ciel responded formally. "Is there anything I can get you? I know of a fantastic tea that is good for soothing nightmares and guarantees a good night's sleep."

I shook my head. "I should last until morning..."

"Very well, sir." He frowned slightly, as though the word sir didn't sit quite right with him. This didn't surprise me, considering his status.

"However, there are some things I would like to discuss with you in the morning."

"Certainly. If that is all, I would suggest that we both retire for the night. If you need anything, just call."  
I nodded, and in the blink of an eye, Ciel was gone.

* * *

2:03 AM

_Funny,_ I thought to myself. _It's only been minutes, but it feels like hours._ Time moves in strange ways. I was lying in my bed, trying to fall asleep, but at the same time afraid to. After a while, I could resist no longer, and sleep claimed me, comforting me for at least a little while.


	3. Surprise Visit

6:54 AM

I awoke to a wet feeling on my side. Quickly sitting up and pulling back my bedsheets, I saw that they had been stained red by the combined bleeding of my wound and the contract seal. As I examined my wrist, it occurred to me that the bandages wrapped around it were completely soaked in blood. _Wait... I don't remember rebandaging it after we'd made the contract._

"That's because you didn't," said a voice that cut through my thoughts with surprising ease. I whipped around to see Ciel standing behind me. "Though I bandaged it, I wasn't able to stop the bleeding. Damn, this is going to stain."

I stared up at the demon in confusion. Was he honestly worrying about the sheets? I shook myself out of my daze. "Never mind that. I have a few questions for you." With a nod of understanding from Ciel, I continued. "First of all, does Sebastian affect the contract?"

The Earl shrugged. "He doesn't change much. The only difference is that you can order him around as well as myself, and he will protect you if I should be unavailable."

I nodded, already calculating details. "I have decided on my first order for you. You will tell me everything. No lies."

Ciel gave a smirk. "The first thing you should know about me is that I do not tell lies."

"My next order: You always stay with me."

"From the farthest corners of the Earth to the depths of Hell, I will always remain by your side."

"And finally, you will not reveal our contract to anyone."

"Certainly, though you should know that demons, grim reapers, and certain humans can sense bonds between demon and prey."

A horrible thought crossed my mind. "Does that mean that Nekozawa will know about our contract?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"When he does find out, you are to make sure that he does not tell anyone."

The Earl gave a wicked grin. "I swear it will be done."

"Oh, and one more thing. You and Sebastian are to return to Ouran until you have taken my soul. Tell the Host Club that you've come to visit."

"Yes, my lord. I shall have Sebastian make the necessary preparations."

I waved a hand in dismissal. "That will be all for now."

"What would you like for breakfast today? Sebastian has prepared a selection of scones, muffins, and curry buns."

I raised an eyebrow; a curry bun sounded interesting. "I'll try a curry bun."

* * *

7:55 AM

I dashed out the front door, my stomach full of Sebastian's cooking.

When I got to the limo, I was not at all surprised to find Sebastian and Ciel waiting for me, already dressed in their lilac uniforms and wearing complimentary white gloves to cover their contract seals. I glanced down at my wrist. The watch I had chosen covered the seal quite nicely.

I nodded to the taller of the two demons."Nice to see you again, Sebastian."

"And you as well, Master Kyoya." He opened the limo door and ushered us in.

* * *

9:25 AM

"Ciel! Sebastian!" the other hosts screamed as the two demons walked through the door.

"Argh! Get off, will you?" Ciel yelled as he and his butler were buried below an avalanche of hosts. I was surprised he didn't swing his ever-present cane at them, but they backed off once he protested a bit more.

"What are you guys doing back in Japan?" Haruhi asked. "There hasn't been another killing spree, has there?" Her question didn't surprise me in the least; I would expect nothing less from our scholar.

Ciel scoffed. "What, I can't visit?"

Immediately, the twins jumped him, wrapping him in a hug sandwich. "Aww, he missed us! He really can feel!" they chorused.

"I didn't miss you! I'm simply checking on my pawns." he scowled.

"We love you too!"

"This is perfect!" Tamaki cried, in a fit of dramatic inspiration. "We have our dark hosts back! And just in time, too; the club is open for business!" He threw open the double doors, and a wave of girls swept in.

* * *

4:33 PM

I observed the day's events from the window. Ciel and Sebastian certainly hadn't lost their touch. Customers flocked to them with tears of joy.

I turned back to my own customers, a fake smile plastered on my face. "Yes, we do have some familiar faces back with us. Though we do not know how long they will be here, so that's all the more reason to visit daily and perhaps buy our limited edition magazines, which feature them." A chorus of squeals erupted from the group.

I glanced down at my watch. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but it seems it's time for the host club to close for the day."

"Aww, but we wanted to spend more time with you, Kyoya-sama."

"Well, then I expect to see you tomorrow, okay?" I said with a wink.

The girls squealed loudly and slowly began to leave.

* * *

4:37 PM

After a few minutes, we'd managed to get all of the girls to leave, allowing the hosts a break.

"My god," Ciel sighed. "Now I remember why I wanted to leave so badly."

This simple statement made Tamaki go into a fit and proceed to grow mushrooms in a corner. "Was it really that bad? Was it I who drove away Ciel and Sebastian? Mommy..."

"I told you not to call me that." I growled with a twinge of annoyance.

Suddenly, the grand doors flew open, slamming into the wall with a bang, and in ran a small blonde boy, not much taller than Honey, followed by a tall, dark figure in square glasses and a tailcoat.

"CIEL!" the blonde boy screamed, his voice reaching octaves that I thought only dogs could hear. "I missed you so much! Why didn't you tell me you were back?!"


	4. My Name

4:38 PM

Suddenly, the grand doors flew open, slamming into the wall with a bang, and in ran a small blonde boy, not much taller than Honey, followed by a tall, dark figure in square glasses and a tailcoat.

"CIEL!" the blonde boy screamed, his voice reaching octaves that I thought only dogs could hear. "I missed you so much! Why didn't you tell me you were back?!"

"Ow! Geroff!" Ciel yelled as Alois Trancy tackled him, and Sebastian immediately ran over to assist, shooting Claude a look of hatred as he did so. Once Alois had backed off, Ciel and Sebastian stood in a defensive stance.

Sebastian didn't move his eyes from their rivals as he spoke to his master. "What are your orders, master?" His shadow expanded, filling the room with a hateful feeling.

Alois giggled. "Why don't you lighten up, Sebastian? Just hand over Ciel and we'll be on our way. You didn't share him very much last time."

Ciel gave the two a ghost of a smile, his eyes flashing red for a moment. "Well, Alois, I'm surprised that you're still with that butler of yours. As I recall, he murdered you and used your soul to get to me, if I may remind you of the outcome of our last meeting."

Alois's mood did a 180, and he gave Ciel a dark glare. "Go roll in shit. I won't fail this time, and that demon of yours can suffer the same pain that Claude did in his final moments."

"Why come here? We could just settle this with another private affair at your manor."

Alois leaned flirtatiously against Claude, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "But I wanted to meet all of your club friends. At least let me introduce myself; I don't want to be rude." The little blonde boy danced his way over to the other hosts and me. "Name's Alois Trancy, and this is my butler Claude. And who might you be?"

As I continued to chronicle the events unfolding before me, the rest of the club gave Ciel a skeptical look before introducing themselves. Ciel and Sebastian sat down, but kept a wary gaze on the newcomers.

Hikaru and Kaoru leaned against each other as they bent forward. "This is Hikaru," said Hikaru, pointing at Kaoru. "And this is Kaoru." Kaoru pointed to his brother.

Claude spoke for the first time since he'd arrived. "Please, do not tease my young master."

The twins stuck out their tongues. "Killjoy. Fine, switch the names around. We never get to have any fun..."

"Are you a friend of Ciel's?" Honey asked from Mori's shoulders.

Alois giggled, "We are much more than friends."

"In your dreams," Ciel scoffed.

"But that's a story for another life. Who might you be?"

"I'm Honey, and this is Takashi, but you can call him Mori!" Honey giggled.

Mori gave a wave. "Hi."

Haruhi stepped forward and gave a kind smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Haruhi Fujioka."

The moody boy peered closely at her. "Why are you wearing a boy's uniform?" He laughed as Haruhi's eyes widened. "Well, spit it out. I've always had a thing for secrets."

Ciel snorted, earning him an irritated look from Alois.

I nodded as Haruhi looked to me for approval. "I was kind of indebted to the club, and the only way for me to pay them back was to join them. Since everyone here is now thoroughly convinced that I'm a boy, I have to keep pretending that I am."

I stopped writing momentarily to look up at our visitor. "I am Kyoya Otori, the club's manager."

"Oooh," he cooed. "You've got a dark little secret, don't you? Don't act surprised. I know that type of look anywhere. There's a heavy weight on your shoulders, and a dim fire in your eyes."

"I assume the same for you, correct?" I answered calmly. There was no way I'd let this little rat get the best of me.

"You're not as stupid as I though-" He was cut off by Tamaki, who noticed that attention had been off of him for too long.

"I am the king of this club, Tamaki-" Alois cut into the king's rambling. He grabbed the latter's tie and pulled him close, their noses inches apart.

I let out a gasp, and my entire body stiffened. We all knew how fast the newcomer's mood could change. If events turned for the worse... I couldn't forgive myself. I had to protect the club.

"I don't like to be interrupted," Alois sneered. "So I suggest you go eat shit."

The entire host club was frozen, and I was torn between rushing to that idiot's aid or watching the situation play out.

Before I could decide, Ciel cut in. "Well, I'd say that's enough for today. If you wish to contact me further, well, you know how to write."

Alois released Tamaki and danced his way back to his butler, leaving the king to rub his sore neck. "Claude, take me home. All this is making me tired. Why don't we lie down together, hm?"

The stoic man was unfazed by his young charge's suggestive words. "I shall escort you home, Your Highness."

Sebastian beat them to the door, opening it with a shallow bow. He shot Claude one last look of pure hatred, and closed the door behind them.


	5. Answers and Twists

4:43

The door shut gently, followed by a moment of silence. Then all hell broke loose.

"What's wrong with your shadow?"

"How are you more than friends?"

"What was that all about?"

"He died?" These were just a few of the questions that were thrown at Ciel and Sebastian as soon as Alois had left.

Ciel shouted over the host club, "Hey! I can't answer all of your questions at once, so pipe down, the lot of you!"

I stopped writing and looked expectantly at my butler. I nodded to him, sending him a silent message. _Answer whatever questions we have._

"First off," began the twins. "What's up with your shadow, Sebastian?"

The dark man remained motionless. "This happens whenever I am irritated, particularly with delayed dinner preparations." An eerie silence fell across the room.

I suppose the demon does show emotions other than sadism.

"Remind me not to piss you off," said the twins, now wary of Sebastian.

"Oh! Oh!" Honey waved from his perch on Mori's shoulders. "Pick me! Pick me!"

Ciel gave a heavy sigh. "Yes, Honey?"

"How are you more than friends? I didn't know you were in love!" Immediately, the twins burst into laughter, collapsing to the ground. Ciel turned bright red, standing abruptly.

"I am not in love with him, or anyone else, for that matter! The only person I have ever loved is my Lizzie!" he screamed, but was drowned out by the twins' laugher.

"Bwahahahaha!" they howled, not listening to a word Ciel said. "You're a gay cross-dresser! Bwahahahaha"

"Who said anything about cross-dressing?!" the Earl hollered, his face now the color of a beet.

"Sebastian said something about a dress when you were teasing him about a bonnet. Remember?" Kaoru reminded him, slowly regaining his composure.

Sebastian stood calmly. "If you would please calm yourselves, I will explain." The twins calmed down, and within a minute, all eyes were on the older demon. "You see, Alois Trancy has an... obsession with my young master and has attempted to steal him on many occasions. His butler, Claude Faustus, also has an interest in my young master, but purely to obtain his soul-"

"Wait," Haruhi interrupted. "Does that mean that Claude is a demon?"

"Yes, Ms. Fujioka. After an accident, he managed to taste my Lord's blood, and was determined to get his soul."

"Wow, Ciel," Hikaru teased. "Top of the market, aren't you-"

"As I was saying," Sebastian interjected. "Mr. Faustus killed his contractor and used his ring to... cause my lord to have false memories about me. However, Mr. Faustus did die, thus returning my master's original memories."

"Wait," Tamaki paused, trying to form the right words. "If they died, does that mean... Are they zombies?"

"In a way, yes." Ciel replied. "I believe that is the Aurora Society's doing." Everyone shivered at the thought of that damned company. We'd all hoped never to see such horrors again.*

I turned his story over in my head, debating whether or not it had any truth to it. "That's enough for today," I announced. "I'm sure Ciel is very tired after all that has happened."

* * *

5:01 PM

Surprisingly, the Host Club backed off from Ciel. Perhaps it was their realization of all the pain that Ciel had gone through, and that he needed some space. But there's no doubt that they'll be back at it tomorrow.

I hesitated at the dining room door, bracing myself. I had told Ciel and Sebastian not to interfere no matter what. I couldn't give my father more ammunition to shoot at me, should they be revealed.

* * *

5:17 PM

I steeled myself as my mother and older brothers left the room. Any moment now, the pain would come. I watched my father as he slowly approached, his lips pulled into a thin line. "You will never learn," he said, a grim expression on his face.

I flinched as he rose his hand, but the blow never came. Twisting my head, I saw a gloved hand wrapped around my father's raised wrist. My eyes grew wide; Sebastian had caught my father's arm before it could strike me. I looked to my left, surprised to see Ciel sitting beside me, drinking a cup of Earl Grey tea.

He glanced up at my father in disgust. "Punishing a child is one thing, but abuse is another matter entirely." He ignored my surprise and continued. "I can't possibly let something like this go without justice."

My father turned purple. "Who do you think you are? Breaking into my house! Do you know who I am?" He spoke through clenched teeth.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I know who you are. I, Ciel Phantomhive, will bring justice to all who are guilty, as per the Queen's orders. You have two choices, Mr. Otori: Never lay a hand on your son again, or lose an arm. It's entirely up to you."

"Why would I listen to a br-Aaaahhh!" My father's rage turned to pain as Sebastian began to twist his arm around.

"You have ten seconds." Ciel stated mercilessly.

"Ten-"

"Aaggh!"

"Nine-"

"No!"

"Eight-"

"Alright!"

Crack.

"Seven-"

"Stop! I'llnevertouchhimagain!"

"Wise choice. Well, then, shall we be off? Let's go, Master Kyoya, Sebastian." Ciel finalized, walking away, twirling his cane.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian answered obediently.

I slowly rose and looked down at my father. He had dropped to his knees and was massaging his sprained arm. I quickly followed the young demon out the door.

* * *

**A/N: *Read "The Host in Terror" from black blood of the red rose's story, "Black Rose Ouran" to find out more about the Aurora Society. Or you _could_ just read the manga. But I suppose that wouldn't explain how the hosts are related to the Aurora Society, so I guess you should just read both.**


	6. Wake Up

5:19 PM

I angrily turned to face the demons as soon as we'd entered the solitude of my room. "Didn't I tell you not to interfere, no matter what the circumstances?"

Ciel rolled his eyes. "I cannot allow any harm to come to my master. It would be dreadful if you were to die..."

I ground my teeth. "Now questions will be asked."

"Please, have more faith. I can make certain that no one gets suspicious."

"...Fine, but do not do anything like that again. Though I resent him, he is still my father."

"Understood, sir."

I sighed and waved a hand of dismissal. "That's all for today. If I need anything, I will call you."

The duo bowed before leaving me to my thoughts.

* * *

5:30 PM

I looked over my files, which I had hidden in my desk. I had started off small in my company: first selling toys, then food, then child medicine. Though it had grown rapidly, I still had a long way to go.

* * *

8:17 PM

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, stifling a yawn. I changed my clothes and bandages before drifting off to bed.

Would the same nightmare plague my dreams once more?

* * *

7:00 AM

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I growled at the infernal device, blindly grabbing the clock and hurling it across the room. Once more, I curled up under the blankets.

"Time to wake up, sir." a familiar voice rang.

A dark aura surrounded me as I buried myself deeper into the pillows and blankets.

"Oh, for the love of-" Ciel was cut off by a lamp flying at his head.

I relaxed as footsteps drifted away.

"What the-?!" I was suddenly sopping wet. I glared up at the blue-haired demon above me. "I hardly think that was necessary." I growled.

He shrugged, slinging the dripping bucket over his shoulder. "You're worse than I was."

"This mess is your problem!" I called as he left the room, a smirk on his face. I sighed heavily. And here I thought that today might actually be a good day...


	7. Discovery

2:21 PM

I watched the club again, mentally calculating budgets for the next cosplay.

Today, our king had chosen a tropical rainforest. Each member wore swim shorts with flowered leis around their neck and wrists. Ciel, Haruhi and I were wearing flowered Hawaiian shirts, though we were the only ones. Both demons had managed to hide their marks with a concealer of some sort.

My work was interrupted by a shriek. I looked up to see Tamaki crouched behind Mori.

"W-What are you doing here, N-Nekozawa?" he asked frightfully.

The cloaked teen waved eerily. "Ah, I sensed demon-sama was here once more, along with his master..."

The blonde idiot could only squeak.

Nekozawa bowed deeply to Ciel. "It is good to see that you have fulfilled your revenge, demon-sama." He then swiveled toward Sebastian. "I apologize for your loss, as well."

Ciel snickered at the last comment. "Good afternoon. If I may, I have some matters to discuss with you, though I'm sure you are already aware of the situation."

My grip on the pencil tightened. I had to trust Ciel to handle it.

He nodded. "About your master, correct?"

The blue-haired boy merely motioned Nekozawa out the door and into the hallway.

"What does he mean by master?" the twins asked in unison, barely a second after the demons and Nekozawa had left.

I shot down the question before anyone else could comment. "Perhaps he was speaking to Sebastian."

Honey looked curiously at the door. "Maybe..."

As if on cue, the three reentered the room.

Nekozawa bowed to us before leaving. "If you are ever in need of a curse, please don't hesitate to come to the black magic club." With that, he gave me a small, knowing nod before creeping out through the seemingly random black door.

Tamaki shivered. "Don't go in there! The curses are real!"

Honey curled into Mori. "EEE! He's scary... But kind of nice... Like Santa!"

Hikaru grimaced. "Santa? Thanks for ruining my childhood."

* * *

3:04 PM

The various club members went off to their own shenanigans as soon as the guests had left.

"Kyo-chan!" Honey called from a nearby table. "Do you wanna have some cake with us? Everybody else has something better to do."

I sighed. "I suppose I can spare a few minutes."

"Yay!" The boy-lolita bounded toward me and grabbed my arms, yanking me out of my chair. A bad idea, as it happened. I slipped from his grasp and fell to the tile. I sat up slowly, rubbing a rising bump on the back of my head and blinking away stars.

"Kyoya!" cried a chorus of worried voices. In an instant, I was surrounded.

I ignored the fawning of the club, apart from the demonic duo, who were still sitting at a table, drinking tea. "It's nothing," I reassured them.

A collection of gasps rose from the crowd around me. My eyebrow raised, then realization dawned on me. The flowered bracelet.

Tamaki pulled my arm toward him and stared down at my scarred wrist, his eyes filling with tears. "...Did you do this to yourself?"

I silently thanked God that it wasn't the wrist that bore my contract seal.


	8. Beginning of the End

Tamaki pulled my arm toward him and stared down at my scarred wrist, his eyes filling with tears. "...Did you do this to yourself?"

* * *

3:05 PM

I snatched my arm back and cradled it against my chest, turning my head away from the prying eyes around me.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki shouted.

I barely let out a whisper. "...Yes."

Tamaki pulled me into a hug, small tears running down his cheeks. "Why?"

I sighed and rested my forehead on his shoulder in defeat. "Not for reasons you would expect."

"W-We're here for you. You know that, right?"

"I never forget it..."

Tamaki pulled away from me, leaving one hand on my shoulder, and turned to face the rest of the club. They were obviously confused by our whispered exchange.

"Men, we have a mission!" he announced. "So get changed. We're going on a trip!"

"But what about Kyoya-senpai?" asked Haruhi.

"What's wrong?" Honey added.

Tamaki gave a bright smile. "All in due time. Now, let's move out!"

Everyone wearily made their way to the changing rooms, and I ignored the questioning eyes that followed me as I entered the cubicle.

* * *

3:06 PM

Now alone, I cursed myself, banging my head against the wall.

"Damn it!" I swore under my breath, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

Now everyone will know, more or less, of what's happened.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Kyoya!" a familiar prince called. "If you don't hurry up, we're going to leave you behind."

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands and quickly dressed in my uniform.

"Great! Let's move out, troops!" Tamaki commanded, pulling Haruhi along behind him as he marched away.

Everyone skeptically followed him down the hall.

* * *

3:13 PM

We ended up getting lost in the rose maze.

"Boss," the twins remarked. "You don't know where you're going, do you?"

"No," the blonde denied. "I know exactly where we are! We just need to take a right turn up here." Hikaru and Kaoru sighed in disappointment.

"Found it! Told you we weren't lost." Tamaki announced.

We rounded the corner to find a bright, beautiful orchard. Cherry blossoms grew everywhere, and soft pink leaves littered the ground.

"It's beautiful, senpai," Haruhi said, removing herself from Tamaki's grasp. "But why are we here?"

"Why, to relax, of course."

"Relax?"  
"Yep! Cherry blossoms are supposed to be peaceful and calming, and I thought, 'When will there be a better time than now?'"


	9. Secrets and Lies

**A/N: Okay, this is the first chapter I've written for this story. Let me know what you think in a review! :)**

* * *

3:14 PM

We all sat in a circle in a secluded area of the orchard, each of the club members shooting me worried glances at random intervals. Only Ciel and Sebastian appeared truly calm, but I knew they were both on the lookout for anything that could hurt me (and Ciel, in Sebastian's case).

"So, boss, why are we here?" Kaoru asked, shooting me yet another concerned look. I pretended not to notice.

"Yeah, and what were you and Kyoya whispering about in the club room?" Hikaru asked, leaning against his brother.

"Gentlemen, we have a serious problem on our hands," Tamaki began.

"What is it? Is Kyo-chan okay?" Honey asked from between Hikaru and Mori.

"Kyoya-senpai, what happened? Haruhi asked, sandwiched between Mori and Tamaki.

"It's nothing," I said, avoiding eye contact with everyone by staring at my hands.

"What's nothing?" Mori asked. _This is bad,_ I thought. _Even Mori wants to know._

"Kyoya, give me your arm." Tamaki told me, knowing full well that I couldn't tell them myself. Reluctantly, I held out my right arm to him, and silently thanked my not-so-lucky stars that I'd remembered to put on the watch that hid the contract seal on my other arm.

Everyone leaned forward to see what Tamaki was looking at, and I heard a collective gasp as my scars were revealed.

"Kyo-chan." Honey breathed, then ran to me and threw his arms around my neck. "I'm sorry, Kyo-chan! Please don't do this!" he cried into my jacket.

"Kyoya-senpai, why are you doing this?" Haruhi asked, and all eyes were on me. _This is it,_ I realized. _The moment of truth. Do I tell them how I really got these scars, or make up some bullshit story to get them off the truth?_ As I debated this in my head, Sebastian spoke up.

"Kyoya, do you want me to tell them?" he asked, and I silently thanked him for his quick thinking. I nodded, and everyone turned to look at the dark butler.

"We found out two days ago, when the young master and I arrived here. Kyoya's mother told me that he was in his room, so we went down to say hello. I intended to wait at the top of the stairs, but when I heard the young master's panicked voice, I ran down immediately. He told us that it was because he knew that he would always be known as the youngest Otori boy, never quite bright enough to surpass his brothers, or even get close to them."

_Shall I throw in a little suicidal bit, Master Kyoya?_ rang the voice in my head. _No, that'll make it worse._ I sent back.

"Kyoya, is this true?" Tamaki asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"...Yes." I choked out, pretending to be glad that they finally knew.

Tamaki pulled me into another hug, then held me at arm's length, his hands gripping my shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? You know we're here for you, so why didn't you come to us?"

I sighed, trying to come up with a logical explanation. When all possibilities evaded me, I did the only thing I could: I told them the truth. "I didn't want you to feel bad."

This earned me a lot of puzzled looks. "Why would we feel bad, Kyo-chan?"

"I don't know. I just..." I sighed, hoping that I wasn't just digging myself into a pit.

"Well, as long as you know we're here for you..." Tamaki helped me up, and we began to make our way back.

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai. Can I talk to you for a second?" Haruhi asked, and I fell back to talk to her.

As soon as the others were out of earshot, she turned to me. "So, senpai, why did you pretend that you've been cutting yourself?" The question took me by surprise, and I stopped, inwardly cursing myself. _Damn it! Why is she so freaking perceptive?!_

"How did you figure it out?" I asked, beginning to walk again as I regained my composure.

"It was easy, really. I noticed that you were hiding your wrists whenever we did cosplay, so my first assumption was cutting. But then there started to be slight hints of bruises on your face, and then I saw your dad slap you at the Ouran fair. The final piece of the puzzle was that you were wearing a shirt earlier. You wouldn't have done that if you didn't have something to hide.

"I've met your family, so I could rule out your mom, and you don't fear your brothers, so the bits of fear when you had to leave wouldn't make any sense. The only one left was your dad. So I'll ask you again: Why would you lie about something like that?"

I sighed. "You can't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you, Haruhi, and you definitely can't tell Tamaki." She nodded in understanding. "My father isn't happy that I'm spending all my time in the Host Club. He's been doing things like this," At this moment, I pulled up my sleeves, revealing my scars. "to me almost every night. But it should be over now. Sebastian and Ciel saw to that."

"Was what they said about two days ago true?" she asked.

"No. Now, let's hurry up. We don't want the others getting suspicious." We caught up quickly, and Tamaki quickly decided that every host, aside from Haruhi, would take turns sleeping at my house to make sure I didn't hurt myself anymore.


	10. Broken Bones

**A/N: Okay, so since the last chapter was received so well, I decided to go ahead and write another. Again, please review. That's the only way I know whether or not this story sucks.**

* * *

5:13 PM

"This is really good, Mrs. Otori," Tamaki said. It was dinnertime, and he was taking the first rotation. I still found it a little silly, but I knew the club was just trying to help, and most of them didn't know that my father was the real cause for my scars.

"Why, thank you, Tamaki. I'm glad you like it. I might just have to give the chef a raise for this one." my mother replied. My brothers and I remained silent, but for entirely different reasons. They did because they didn't know what had happened at last night's dinner, but I did because I just had nothing to say. My father had pretended to fall down the stairs to cover for his broken arm; if anyone found out what he'd been doing to me, his reputation would be ruined.

It was a few minutes before anyone spoke. "Kyoya," my father began. "Why don't you and Tamaki go play in your room? I have some business to discuss with your brothers." His comment took me by surprise, and I saw my brothers tense in their chairs.

"Yes, sir." We stood and left the dining hall, quickly followed by my mother.

* * *

5:14 PM

"Hey, Kyoya," Tamaki began. "What kind of business does your dad conduct with your brothers?"

"I don't know." I lied.

"Kyoya! Your friends are here to see you!" my mother called, and I silently thanked her impeccable timing.

* * *

5:16 PM

The entire host club sat in my room, all looking at me expectantly. "Well," I started. "I'm not sure why you guys decided to visit, but thanks for stopping by. Don't be a stranger. Haruhi, say hi to your dad for me." I stood and attempted to make my escape. Unfortunately, the twins were expecting this, and pulled me right back down.

"Not so fast," Hikaru said.

"We have a few questions for you." added Kaoru.

I sighed. "Fine. What do you want to know?"_ What do they want to know?_ I silently asked Ciel.

_They saw your brothers leave the dining room with bloody wrists, and when Kaoru glanced into the dining room, he saw a bloody knife on the table. He mentioned it to the others._ he responded.

"Do you happen to know why there's a bloody knife in your dining room, or why your brothers left with bleeding wrists?" Honey asked, and I almost smiled at how naive he is.

"No," I answered quickly, but not so quickly as to seem suspicious.

"Are you sure, senpai?" Haruhi asked. She had already figured it out, but didn't let on.

"I'm fairly certain, unless they've taken to cutting themselves. But I don't see why they would do that. They've got everything." I made my voice crack a little at the end, to add to my story.

"Don't be sad, Kyo-chan! You still have us!" Honey cried, and threw his arms around my neck.

"Yeah, I guess I do." I smiled. Even though they were the reason my father did this, I knew they'd be there for me.

"While this is all very touching," Hikaru interjected, ever the unsympathetic idiot. "It still doesn't answer the question of why your brothers cut themselves. Have they ever done this before?"

"Not that I know of, but..." I trailed off as the gravity of my actions hit me. Sebastian and Ciel had protected me, but now my brothers were paying for it.

"What is it, Kyoya?" Tamaki asked, noticing my stunned expression.

"Nothing. I just..." I stood and left the room, and this time, no one tried to stop me.

* * *

Haruhi POV

5:17 PM

"Hey, Haruhi," the twins said in unison, wrapping their arms around my shoulders.

"What were you and Kyoya talking about earlier?" Hikaru asked.

"Do you know something we don't?" Kaoru added. I cursed myself for not being more careful. They knew that I knew something.

"No," I said, panicked. Unfortunately, Mori noticed this.

"You do know something." he noted.

"C'mon, Haru-chan! You can tell us." Honey begged.

I sighed, trying to find the right words. "No, I can't."

"Why can't you tell your senpai?" Tamaki asked, pushing the twins away from me.

"Because Kyoya-senpai made me promise not to!" I blurted, unable to stop myself. "I shouldn't have said that."

Just then, a scream echoed through the house.

* * *

Kyoya POV

5:17 PM

I left my room in search of my father. He wasn't hard to find; he was still in the dining room. "Father," I began. He was startled by my presence. "Why did you do that to my brothers?"

"They disobeyed me, and tried to help you. I will not stand for that."

"They had nothing to do with that. It's your own fault." I refused to be pushed around by him any longer.

"How dare you talk to me that way! I'll show you what happens to disobedient children!" he hollered, picking up the bloodied knife and advancing on me. I didn't move; I had demons on my side.

As if on cue, Sebastian appeared, grasping my father's good wrist. He pressed a certain point, and my father dropped the knife.

"We tried to warn you," Ciel said from next to me. Sebastian twisted my father's arm around, and he screamed in agony. After a moment, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop!" I yelled, and Sebastian dropped my father.

"Master Kyoya, please don't put yourself in dangerous situations." Ciel sighed. We quickly returned to my room, where everyone was waiting for us. The moment we were in view, we were bombarded by questions.

"What happened?"

"Who screamed?"

"What does Haruhi know that we don't?"

All of these questions and more were thrown at us as we walked into view. "One at a time. One at a time!" I yelled.

"Who screamed?" Honey asked.

"I don't know. I went to get water." I lied.

"Sebastian, Ciel, where did you go?" It was Tamaki this time.

"I sensed that something dangerous was nearby, and went to investigate. The young master insisted on coming with me."

"What does Haruhi know that we don't?" Hikaru and Kaoru had their arms wrapped around Haruhi's shoulders, and she looked guilty.

"Sorry, senpai. I didn't tell them anything, though." This earned her a lot of quizzical looks, from everyone except me.

"Didn't tell us what?" Tamaki asked.


	11. Screaming

**A/N: Yeah! Two chapters in one day! I don't think I've ever written fanfics this fast before. Anyway, as always, let me know what you think in a review! If you do, curry buns will be served immediately. :}**

* * *

5:20 PM

"Didn't tell us what?" Tamaki asked. I stood there, dumbfounded at how quickly my intricately woven web of lies had unraveled.

Thankfully, I was saved by Mori and Honey, who had disappeared without anyone knowing, and were now standing at the top of the stairs. "Kyo-chan, come quick! It's your dad." I ran after them, quickly followed by the rest of the club. Mori led the way to the dining room, where my father still kneeled, holding his now-broken arm.

"Father!" I yelled, pretending to sound concerned. "Sebastian, keep an eye on him. I'm going to get my mother!" Before I could make it out the door, my father screamed.

"No! Get away from me!" he cried. Sebastian was slowly advancing, the same way one might advance on a frightened deer.

"Sir, please calm down. I need to look at your arm." he said calmly. My father was the exact opposite, and I couldn't help but stay to watch.

"Please, no! Help me! Someone! Anyone but him!"

"Sebastian," Ciel began. "This is an order. Let me handle him."

"Aaargh! No! You're just as bad! I told you I'd never touch him again! Why'd you do this to me?" I sighed, then went to kneel at my father's side.

"They work for me. I told them not to, but you were going to hurt me, and our contract dictates that they cannot allow anything to happen to me." I smiled, then raised my voice so the others could hear. "They're here to help you."

"Get away from me, all of you!" He stood and tried to run, but Sebastian blocked his path, and Ciel prevented him from retreating.

"Come now, you're in no condition to run." the dark butler smiled. I heard all of this from down the hall, as once I'd told my father that they were there to help, I'd gone to get my mother.

"Mother," I sighed. "It's Father. Come quickly." She jumped up, and I led the way to the dining room.

"What happened?" my mother breathed, clearly stunned.

"He took a bad fall, that's it. His arm is broken. I suggest we get him to the nearest hospital quickly." Sebastian lied easily.

"No! He's lying! HE did this to me!" My father glared at Sebastian, who took him by the sprained arm and gently led him outside, closely followed by my mother.

"I'll be back soon, young master." he said to Ciel.

"Kyoya, you stay here and clean up the mess. Tell your brothers what's happened." my mother ordered, all business.

"Yes, Mother." I took off down the hall to my brothers' rooms, telling them in turn of our father's bad fall, and where he was now. Both looked relieved, though I pretended not to notice that they both touched their bandaged wrists when they heard.

* * *

5:26 PM

Back in my room, the conversation quickly turned to my father's odd screams at Sebastian and Ciel.

"What did he mean when he said, 'I told you I'd never touch him again!'?" asked the ever-observant Haruhi, still pretending to be clueless. "Kyoya-senpai, do you know?"

"And you never did say what it is that you didn't tell us." Tamaki reminded me.

"It's not important." I said, in a futile effort to prolong the inevitable. As if on cue, a look of shock and realization passed over Honey's face.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? Now Honey knows! :) Yay! I do feel kinda bad about what I'm doing to Kyoya, though. I don't want to do it; he is my favorite host, but authors (and me) always torture our favorite characters the most. Anyway, Chapter 12 should be up soon!**


	12. Another one Bites the Dust

**A/N: Oh, my god, three chapters in two days! I'd better get some reviews for this! :P Anyway, I hope you like this one. I made it extra long; my brain wouldn't let me stop typing. Anyway, on we go.**

* * *

5:26 PM

"It's not important." I said, in a futile effort to prolong the inevitable. As if on cue, a look of shock and realization passed over Honey's face.

I was the only one who noticed, as he regained his composure with impressive speed. "Remind me why you guys came here again." I said, quite simply.

"We wanted to make sure you were okay. You know how unpredictable the boss can be." Hikaru pointed out, and I couldn't deny that he had a point.

"You could've been dead, for all we knew." Kaoru added.

"Why didn't you just call Tamaki?" I asked, irritated now.

"He could've been dead. You could've killed him. He does have that effect on people." At this, the Host King went to sulk in the corner, creating gloomy spirals and growing mushrooms.

"He's not."

"Well, we know that now."

"Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Not really. Hey, boss, can you handle Kyoya until tomorrow?" Tamaki instantly came out of his emo corner, smiling brightly as though nothing had happened.

"You know, I'm not five." I interrupted, sighing as Tamaki put his arm around me.

"I can handle him. You guys go home." the King said.

"If you're sure..." Haruhi led the others down the hall, and I let out a sigh of relief as I heard their car drive away.

* * *

3:17 AM

The rest of the night had passed uneventfully. Tamaki had left me to my work, but refused to be in another room. After looking over the finances of the club and my company, I'd gone to bed.

Unfortunately, the dream had returned, and I'd woken up in a cold sweat yet again.

"Kyoya?" mumbled a sleepy Tamaki, sitting up. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I replied, just as tired. "Just a bad dream. That's all."

"Well, if that's all..." He laid back down on the couch and went back to sleep.

* * *

2:43 PM

Tamaki had made sure that the others were focusing on their customers and not me, which I was grateful for, but I did occasionally catch on of them checking up on me out of the corner of my eye. Naturally, I pretended not to notice, and just kept writing down the club's everyday activities. We weren't cosplaying today; we only did it once an episode.

It was my day off from hosting, so I didn't have any customers. It wasn't exactly quiet, but then again, it never was around here.

* * *

4:27 PM

It took a while, but we finally managed to herd out the last of the guests. After a quick discussion, it was decided that it was Honey-senpai's turn to sleep at my house. Though I protested; I knew that he knew something, I was overruled.

* * *

5:24 PM

We were just finishing dinner, and no one had said much of anything; my father was radiating an evil, furious atmosphere. Everyone was afraid, including my mother. After a long, uncomfortable silence, my father spoke.

"Well, I'm going to retire." That was all we got. Five words, and he went to bed.

"I'll be in my room. Come on, Honey-senpai." He dutifully followed me back to my room. Once I was seated at my desk, he broke the silence.

"Kyo-chan, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I sighed. He walked over and sat down next to me.

"Why didn't you tell us that those scars aren't your fault?" he asked. He looked as though he might cry.

"I didn't want you to feel bad." I sighed, staring at my hands.

"Why would we, Kyo-chan? If it's something that hurts you, we'll stop it."

"You can't end the club."

"This is about the club?"

"...Yes." This time, it wasn't a lie. Honey-senpai instantly pulled me into a hug.

"Kyo-chan, you shouldn't have to suffer just so the club doesn't have to disband!" he sobbed, thoroughly soaking my coat.

"I don't see an alternative."

"There has to be an alternative!" he'd let go, and was now staring at me, completely adamant. "We can talk to the others. We'll find a way. We won't let you suffer for the club."

"Honey-senpai, please calm down. The only other person who knows is Haruhi, so you need to keep quiet about this. If Tamaki finds out, he might run off to France so I don't have to suffer." I placed my hands on his shoulders, staring into his teary face.

"I just have one more question." he said, wiping his eyes on his jacket sleeve.

"What is it?"

"Did someone in the club make a contract with Ci-chan?" I froze.

* * *

**A/N: I told you it was long! Well, longer, compared to my other chapters. Leave a review letting me know what you think!**


	13. Another Piece of the Puzzle

**A/N: Okay, I kind of failed at making the last one long. But this one is. Well, longer, at least.**

* * *

5:27 PM

"Did someone in the club make a contract with Ci-chan?" I froze. "Kyo-chan?" Honey-senpai waved a hand in front of my face, but I didn't notice. _What to tell him? Think, Kyoya, think!_

I suddenly snapped back to reality. "Not that I'm aware of. What gave you that idea?"

"Well, Nekozawa said something about Ci-chan's master, and the way you denied it so quickly makes me think that you know something."_ Damn,_ I cursed inwardly. _He's more observant than I thought._

"Sorry, no." I lied. "But if you like, I can look into it." He nodded, and I returned to my work, thinking that was the end of it.

* * *

1:34 AM

I jolted awake, cold sweat soaking my pajamas. My nightmare was getting worse. I sat up, grateful that Honey-senpai was still sleeping. If he'd woken up, I'd be dead. My parents would have discovered my corpse in the morning, woken Honey, who would have subsequently killed them. Honey would go to jail, Mori would bail him out, and he and Haruhi would tell everyone the truth about my scars. My father's business would go belly-up overnight, he would be taken to jail, and my mother and brothers, left with nothing, would be forced to work at fast food chains. My mother would kill herself from grief, my brothers would die of radiation poisoning from the food, and when my father got out of jail, he too would kill himself out of sheer hopelessness. Just like that, the Otori family would be gone.

"Master Kyoya," a voice whispered from next to me. "Drink this. It will help." I looked over to see Sebastian holding out a cup of tea.

"Thank you." I whispered back. "Now go before Honey-senpai wakes up." He nodded, and left so quickly that it was like he'd disappeared into thin air.

Once I'd finished my tea, I set the cup down on the floor next to my bed, then lay back down. It wasn't long before sleep wrapped me in its warm embrace once more.

* * *

6:55 AM

After a good few hour's sleep, I sat up and stretched, surprised to see that Honey was already awake. "Morning, Kyo-chan." he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"Morning, Honey-senpai." I sighed, standing up and making my way to the bathroom.

* * *

6:17 PM

Tonight, it was Kaoru's turn to keep an eye on me. Dinner had been quiet, and my father hadn't even dared look my way. After everyone had finished eating, I excused Kaoru and myself. Luckily, he wasn't in the mood for conversation, either. We both sat doing our homework in my room.

* * *

10:23 PM

I ran down a long, dark corridor, trying to escape the red eyes that had been following me. My destination was just ahead, a lone door at the very end.

I stretched out my arm, only to be snatched back by a dark figure. A cold hand wrapped around my waist, another on my shoulder. An icy voice whispered in my ear as I struggled to breathe. "Come now, did you really think it would be so easy to escape?"

I was suddenly overcome with the urge to fight. As though it had a mind of its own, my leg swung back and connected with my attacker's calf. I dragged my heel down the length of his shin, scraping away several layers of skin and drawing blood.

"Now, now, you shouldn't have done that." The figure tightened his grip around my waist and dug his nails into my shoulder. I yelped in pain, and heard the figure chuckle. The skeletal hand on my waist moved to cover my mouth, and I felt myself descending into blackness...

* * *

3:12 AM

I sat bolt upright, the figure's chuckle still ringing in my ears. As it faded away, I saw a shadowy face appear about a foot in front of mine. I gasped in fear, and considered screaming, but this was put out of my mind when the figure spoke.

"Kyoya?" Kaoru asked, his hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep. You sounded scared, so I woke you up."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled, averting my eyes.

"No, you're not. If you were fine, I'd be dead." I sighed, knowing that I'd have to tell him something. _These people are too damn perceptive._

"It was just a bad dream. Go back to bed." I knew that the likelihood of it working was low, but I gave it a shot anyway.

"Would telling me about it help?" he asked.

"I don't know. I've never actually told anyone about it before."

"Before? How long have you been having this dream?"

"Three months." I actually heard him gasp

"Why, Kyoya? Why don't you tell us these things? Why do we have to catch you off-guard to find out?"

"I don't know."

"What was the dream about?" He could clearly tell that I didn't want to talk about why I didn't tell the club these things.

"I was being chased down a long hallway by a shadowy figure with red eyes. There was a door ahead of me. When I got close to it, the figure grabbed me back and whispers something in my ear."

"What did the figure say?"

"It said, 'Come now, did you really think it would be so easy to escape?' Normally, the dream ends there, and I wake up, but this time was different. I scraped several layers off of its shin, and it got mad. The claws..." I paused for a moment, unsure of whether to go on, but Kaoru laid a comforting hand on mine, and I kept going. "The claws dug into my shoulder, and then a hand went over my mouth. Everything was going black when you woke me up."

Kaoru leaned forward and pulled me into a hug. "Has anything like that ever happened to you in reality?" I was silent. "I'm so sorry, Kyoya. I wish you'd told me."

"I don't know what to think anymore. I thought it was over." I whispered.

He held me at arm's length, staring into my eyes as though the answers he so desperately sought were written there. "Thought what was over?"

I didn't respond, just stared at my arms.

"Kyoya, what did you think was over? Tell me!" He shook my shoulders, then it occurred to him to follow my gaze. "Who did this to you?" he asked, and I was grateful to Past Kyoya for remembering to keep his watch on.

"I did." I lied.

"Are you sure?" He didn't believe me.

"Yes."

"Okay. I was just checking." He returned to the couch, leaving me to stew in my thoughts.

* * *

7:10 AM

I sat in my room, waiting for Kaoru to finish getting dressed so we could go upstairs for breakfast. While I was waiting, Sebastian appeared with a tray of foods. I selected a curry bun for myself, and set one aside for Kaoru. Sebastian disappeared just as Kaoru opened the bathroom door.

"What's that?" he asked, motioning to the bun in my hand.

"It's called a curry bun. They're heaven. Sebastian gave the recipe to my chef the other day, and he brought a couple of them down while you were in the bathroom. There's one right there for you, if you want it." I nodded my head in the general direction of his plate, taking another bite out of my breakfast and sighing in delight.

"Oh, my god." Kaoru gasped. "These are amazing. I have to get Sebastian to give my chef this recipe."

"I told you they were good."

"Kyoya, I'll never doubt you again." he moaned past the curry bun.

* * *

8:15 AM

"Kyoya! Kaoru! There you guys are!" Hikaru yelled as he ran up to us. "Kaoru, Tamaki wants you in the club room. He said something about a debriefing." Kaoru followed his brother down the hall. I watched them go, then turned and made my way to class.

* * *

Haruhi POV

8:15 AM

"Haru-chan!" Honey-senpai called from his perch on Mori-senpai's shoulders. "Tama-chan called a meeting in the club room."

"It's a debriefing." Mori-senpai added, seeing my confused expression.

"Oh. Okay." I followed them to Music Room 3, where everyone except for Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya were already sitting on the a pair of couches. I took a seat next to Tamaki, at his insistence. A minute or two later, Hikaru and Kaoru walked in.

"Okay, now we can get started. Kaoru, do you have anything to report?" the blonde boy next to me asked.

"Yeah. Boss, that thing where Kyoya woke up from a bad dream was real. Almost the same thing happened last night, but I had to wake him up. He was talking in his sleep. He actually sounded scared." Kaoru said.

"The hypotensive evil lord sounded scared? And he didn't kill you when you woke him up?" Hikaru asked. Kaoru nodded, confirming his brother's suspicions.

"He told me about the dream. It was actually scary to listen to."

"What was it about?" Tamaki asked.

"There was a figure chasing him down a hall. He'd almost reached a door, but got caught. He said the voice said, 'Come now, did you really think it would be so easy to escape?' and he kicked it in the shin. It got mad and dug its nails into his shoulder. He said everything was going black when I woke him up."

"God, anyone would be scared by that." I said.

"What else can you report?" Tamaki asked.

"He said he'd been having the dream for three months. I asked him who gave him the scars on his arms, and he said he did, but I don't think he was telling the truth."

"Why is that, Kao-chan?"

"Because he said he thought it would be over."

* * *

Kyoya POV

3:22 PM

"Tamaki," I heard one of the King's guests say. "What's wrong? Why do you look so worried?"

"Because, my dear," he replied, lifting the girl's chin to look into her eyes. "There are so many men out there who would kill just to stand next to such a beautiful girl. What if you like one of them more than me?"

"Don't worry, Tamaki. That could never happen!" He said something back, but I'd stopped listening.

* * *

5:04 PM

"Master Kyoya," a maid said, poking her head through my bedroom door. "Dinner is served."

Hikaru and I made our way to the dining room and sat down at the table.

"Another sleepover, Kyoya? That's the fourth one this week." my mother asked.

"Yes, Mother. I hope you don't mind, though my studies certainly aren't suffering." I assured her.

"Well, as long as you keep your grades up, I don't mind." She returned to her dinner.

* * *

3:17 AM

I gasped for air as I was thrown violently back into reality. I sat up, and after catching my breath and calming down a bit, I thought about the dream. There had been no Kaoru to wake me up this time, and the dreams were getting steadily worse.

"Kyoya?" Hikaru mumbled from the couch. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I sighed. _He probably knows about the dream,_ I thought.

"Okay." He fell silent, and I laid back down, making a futile attempt to fall asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Another piece of the puzzle is coming into place! Now this is getting interesting. I wish I knew fortune telling, too, so I could know how this is going to end. You should give it a shot in a review. It couldn't hurt. Probably.**


	14. Cliffhanger

**A/N: Yay! I'm up to seven reviews! -_- I just realized how pathetic that sounds... Anyway, I has new chappie for you!**

* * *

7:24 AM

"Master Kyoya," a voice whispered, snapping me out of my daze. "It's time to get up."

My eyes snapped open, though I hadn't been sleeping. Ciel stood over me, a cup of tea in his hand.

"Thank you, Ciel." I whispered back; Hikaru was still in the other room, after all. "I have an order for you. Honey and Haruhi already know about my father, but no one knows about the contract. Ensure that none of the others find out about my father, and that no one suspects anything about the contract."

"Yes, my lord." He smiled wickedly. "What would you like for break-"

"Hide!" I hissed as Hikaru ascended the steps.

"Oh, Kyoya, you're up." he sighed. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay." I held my breath until the shower turned on. "Ciel, you can come out now." I jumped as Ciel landed in a graceful crouch next to my bed.

"What would you like for breakfast today?" He stood and appeared for all the world as though he hadn't just fallen out of my ceiling.

"I'll have a muffin." I sighed, stretching my tired muscles. Downstairs, the shower was still going. Ciel returned ten seconds later with two steaming banana chocolate chip muffins, each on its own plate.

"Here you are, Master Kyoya." He handed me one of the plates and disappeared to set the other on the coffee table downstairs. In seconds, he was back at my side. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my lord?" he asked.

"No, that will be all." I waved my hand in dismissal.

"Very well, sir." He vanished, leaving only the tea and the muffins as evidence that he'd been there at all.

At that moment, the shower turned off. I stood and finished off my muffin, gathering everything I would need for my shower. I downed the last of my tea as the bathroom door opened.

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai, is this for me?" Hikaru asked from downstairs.

"Yeah. The maid brought them in. I already had mine." I replied, gathering my stuff for my shower and heading down the stairs. "I'll be back." I closed the door behind me, grateful to be truly alone.

* * *

9:27 AM

"Hey, boss." Hikaru smirked as Tamaki pulled up in his limo. He'd called to tell us to meet him in front of my house.

"There's no time for chit-chat. Get in, both of you." our King said, and I was taken aback by his bluntness.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I slid in behind Hikaru.

"You'll see." was Tamaki's vague reply.

* * *

9:46 AM

The limo now contained all of the club members, including Ciel and Sebastian, though none of us knew where Tamaki was taking us.

"Tamaki-senpai, where are we going?" Haruhi asked. For once, she seemed as clueless as the rest of us.

"It's a surprise." he replied.

"This had better not be like when we went to the rose garden last week." Kaoru glared at Tamaki.

"It's not. I promise. Probably. You did tell us everything, right, Kyoya?" the King asked as he turned to me.

"Yes. You guys know everything." I lied. I was doing that a lot recently. Kaoru was eyeing me skeptically, but didn't say anything. Since I was in a bad mood from sleep deprivation (more so than usual), I decided to call him out on it. "What, you don't believe me?" I asked him, feigning a slightly injured tone.

"If I'm honest, no. I don't. I really want to, but I don't think you told us everything." he replied, not missing a beat.

"Okay. Let's say, hypothetically, I didn't tell you everything. What do you think I skipped?" I asked. This was going to end poorly, but I didn't much care.

"You could start by explaining that dream." All eyes looked toward me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You said you've been having the same dream for three months. You must have a theory about why."

"Actually, I don't."

"What?"

"I don't have a theory."

"The Shadow King doesn't have a theory?"

"That's correct. And don't call me the Shadow King."

"Stop lying, Kyoya-senpai."

"I'm not lying. I have no theories."

"I don't believe you."

"Stop lying, senpai!" Haruhi yelled. Everyone turned to her, shock written all over their faces.

"Haruhi, I'm not lying." I said

"Yes, you are. If you don't tell them, I will." She was adamant, and I knew she was telling the truth.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I think we both know that I would. And if I won't, Honey-senpai will."

"How did you know?" It was my turn to be surprised.

"He told me."

"Someone tell me what's going on here!" Hikaru yelled.

"Mitsukuni." Mori began. "What did Kyoya tell you?" I tensed. Honey wasn't very good at being questioned, particularly not by Mori-senpai.

"Kyo-chan..." Honey looked to me for guidance.

"Tell him, Honey-senpai. If this goes on much longer..." Haruhi trailed off.

"Tell us what?" Tamaki asked. "Mommy, dear? What aren't you telling us?"

"I told you not to call me that." I growled. I glanced out the window. On my side of the car was a terrifying drop of about 150 meters, with rocky waters below. Perfect.

"Somebody tell me something!" Hikaru hollered.

"FINE! I screamed, then promptly threw open the door and dove toward the infinite nothing that awaited me at the bottom of the cliff.

* * *

**A/N: Talk about a cliffhanger! O.o I swear that pun was completely accidental... **


	15. The Plan

**AN: I'm sorry about the last chappie. I had to write an essay, and wanted to give you guys something. Anyway, you can scream at me all you want in a review.**

* * *

10:01 AM

"FINE!" I screamed, then promptly threw open the door and dove toward the infinite nothing that awaited me at the bottom of the cliff. As expected, Ciel's hand clasped onto my wrist like a vice.

"No, Kyoya. You're staying here." With his superhuman strength, he hauled me back into the car. Everyone was silent; if Ciel hadn't caught me, I would have successfully ended my own life. I hadn't actually been trying to kill myself, but it was best that they didn't know that for now.

I rounded on Ciel, shattering the tense silence."Why did you stop me?!" I hollered, feigning fury.

"I can't very well let you die." he replied, stunningly relaxed.

"Kyoya..." Tamaki whispered, and I slowly turned to him, my face now the definition of terrifyingly calm. "Why would you try to kill yourself?"

I sank lower into my seat. "Not for reasons you would expect." I muttered. A minute later, a pair of arms were wrapping me in a comforting embrace.

"I don't understand. You stopped cutting yourself. Why try to die?" Tamaki's voice whispered in my ear. I smiled inwardly; everything was going according to plan.

I was silent, resting my forehead on his shoulder.

"Please." He held me at arm's length for the millionth time in way too short a time period, his hands gripping my shoulders. "Don't ever do something like that again. If Ciel hadn't caught you..." He trailed off, tears filling his eyes.

* * *

11:17 AM

The rest of the car ride passed rather uneventfully. It had been decided that I sit between Ciel and Sebastian, away from all the doors. After that, no one said anything. They just turned my suicide attempt over in their heads.

After a while, we'd arrived back at my house. I glared at Tamaki. "What was the point of all of that?" I asked, venom in my voice.

"We were going to go up to the top of the mountain, but given what happened on the way, I had the driver turn around and take us back here." he replied.

I sighed. "Why were we going to the top of the mountain?" There was no point in trying to do anything but ask him about his plans.

"I thought we could use a vacation, given everything that's happened recently..." He trailed off, his eyes filling with tears.

"Well, I'm going inside." I said, turning around and heading for my front door.

"We'll come with you!" Honey shouted, and everyone followed me toward my house.

"I don't suppose there's anything I can do to stop you?" I asked.

"Nope." they replied in perfect unison.

"Very well." I walked inside like a force of nature, the others trailing timidly behind me. Only Ciel and Sebastian were unafraid. We made our way to my room, and I plopped down on one of my couches. Everyone else sat around the floor or on the couches awkwardly, but the demons seemed completely at ease.

"How are you so calm?" Haruhi asked them.

"We sense no imminent threats to anyone here. If the situation were to become dangerous, we could quite easily save you all." Sebastian replied.

"Well, that's fair enough." Tamaki said, then we lapsed back into uncomfortable silence. After a while, I broke it.

"Okay, that's it." I muttered and stood up, walking to my bookshelf. Tamaki tensed; he thought I might attempt suicide again. I didn't, though. I just took a book off of my shelf and headed up the stairs towards my bed.

"I'll go make sure he's okay." I heard Ciel say, and within the minute, he was at my side. "What are your orders, master?" he asked.

"Everything is going according to plan so far. I want you to begin stage two." I said, not looking up from my book.

"Yes, my lord." he said, then sat down on my bed next to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked slowly, a bit surprised.

"They think I'm talking to you about whatever is wrong, which we both know that nothing is. However, in the future, I would appreciate it if your schemes did not involve putting yourself in danger."

"Your concern has been acknowledged, and promptly ignored." I said simply. "That was the only thing that would distract them from my father and the dream. Anything else would have been quickly shrugged off, or would have simply looped right back to the original issue. It was the only way. Nice catch, though."

"Thank you, sir." He stood and descended the stairs. "He won't talk to me." I heard his voice drift up from the bottom of the stairs. "I think it's best if we just leave him alone for now."

"No. We'll proceed with the rotation. Mori-senpai, it's your turn to keep an eye on Kyoya." Tamaki said, his voice shaking.

I sighed._ This is going to be a long night._ I thought.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this one is so short, but I had to post something to explain the crazy cliffhanger (and pun) I made in the last chapter. Anyway, what did ya guys think? Seriously. Tell me. I gots to know! I apologize for the improper grammar I just used.**


	16. Relapse

**A/N: I am up to twelve reviews! I wanted to make the last chapter longer, but I didn't want to leave you guys (and Kyoya... Ha ha ha) hanging for too long. Anyway, let the awkwardness BEGIN!**

* * *

12:34 PM

After it had been decided that Mori-senpai would be the one who would keep an eye on me, the others left, though I knew that Ciel and Sebastian hadn't gone far.

* * *

5:15 PM

Mori and I were seated at the dinner table, invisible to the conversation going on around us. It wasn't until my father asked me and my mother to retire that I realized that people had been talking.

When we got back to my room, I stopped and face palmed. "Crap." I muttered. "I'll be right back, Mori-senpai. I forgot my notebook." He nodded, and I swept out of the room and down the hall.

I froze in the doorway, horrified at the scene before me. My father was leaning close to my eldest brother, their faces inches apart. My father held a knife, and was slowly twisting it into my brother's wrist, whispering all the while.

"I know you know something, Yuuichi. Just tell me who those two goons working for Kyoya are, and all the pain will go away." he hissed.

"Stop this, Father. They know nothing." I said, and my father froze.

"Kyoya," he said slowly. "What have I told you about interrupting my work?" He straightened up, pulling the knife from Yuuichi's wrist as he did so.

"You know what will happen if you try to hurt me." I smirked. He advanced on me, taking his steps slowly.

"Ah, but how can the dead save you?" It was my father's turn to smirk. "I had the Black Onion Squad take them out."

"No," I breathed. My father took advantage of this to close the distance between us. He took my right wrist in his hand and dug into the flesh with the knife. I gasped, though the pain was muted by my thoughts. _Ciel and Sebastian dead? They're demons! It can't be. Can it?_

All of a sudden, the pain lessened. My father released me, sweeping out of the dining room. He didn't even notice the dark figure in the corner of the room.

I dropped to my knees, holding my wrist. "Kyoya," said a voice next to me. I looked up, surprised to see Mori staring back at me. He helped me to my feet, and we returned to my room.

He cleaned and bandaged my wrist, then sat down on the couch adjacent to the one I was on. "Why?" he asked.

"The club." I replied, and no more words were needed. He stared at me, a look of shock, fury, and concern dancing across his face.

"Who else knows?" His face was now completely devoid of expression.

"Honey, Haruhi, Ciel, and Sebastian." I muttered, then looked up as a horrible thought struck me. "You can't tell anyone else, especially Tamaki." He nodded, and the conversation ended there.

* * *

3:24 AM

My eyes shot open as I was thrown from one hellish world into another. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and jumped when I saw the demonic duo standing next to my bed, Sebastian holding out a cup of tea. "I am terribly sorry, Master Kyoya." he whispered.

"Y-You were dead." I stammered, my face as white as a sheet.

"Bullets cannot kill demons." Ciel said. "I only wish we had been there to stop your father." He stared sadly at my now-bandaged right wrist. His depression was interrupted by Sebastian jumping up into the ceiling, the Earl in his arms.

Just then, Mori-senpai appeared at the top of the stairs. "The dream." I mumbled.

"Your father?" he asked, and I nodded. _Okay, well now he knows why I keep having that damned dream. But I suppose there's nothing to be done for that now._ I thought.

"I won't let that happen again," he said, turning on his heel and heading back down the stairs. I flopped back onto my bed, exhausted from the sheer enormity of what had happened, and I'm sure the blood loss didn't help matters.

Sebastian landed next to my bed, but I wasn't startled this time. He didn't say anything, just set a cup of tea on my nightstand, bowed, and disappeared into the night.

* * *

7:05 AM

A shrill sound interrupted the dreamless sleep I'd been resting in. I growled at it, throwing it at the wall, and curled up underneath the covers.

I heard the shower going downstairs, and knew that Mori was awake. Ciel and Sebastian appeared next to me, the latter holding a cup of tea.

Ciel grasped the corners of my blankets and ripped them away from me. When I sat up and gave him the evil eye, already reaching for the lamp, Sebastian handed me a cup of tea. I downed it gratefully and stood up.

"Good morning, Master Kyoya." Ciel said with a bow.

"Mornings are never good." I groaned, stumbling down the stairs and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"What would you like for breakfast this morning, sir?"

"Surprise me." I sat down on the couch to wait.

* * *

9:23 AM

I sat in class, staring out the window at the grounds below. There was nothing of particular interest there, but the classroom was no better. I'd already learned everything the teacher was saying, so surveyed the scene before me.

"Kyoya," said the teacher, and I snapped back to reality, looking toward the front of the room. "Can you solve this problem?"

"The answer is forty-two." I answered, not missing a beat.

"W-Wha... Thank you. Does anyone know how he got that?" I'm sure that someone did, but I was no longer paying attention.

* * *

4:46 PM

As the last of the guests trickled out the large double doors, I closed my black notebook and stood. "Ciel," Tamaki began. "It's your turn to watch Kyoya."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." I growled.

"Alright. Kyoya, it's Ciel's turn to watch you."

"You do realize that I'm not five, right?"

"Yes, but..." Tamaki sat down, his head in his hands. "We don't want to lose you, Kyoya."

"I know that, Tamaki, but is babysitting me really necessary?" He looked up at me, his eyes pleading for me to understand. I reached out a hand for my notebook, with every intention of storming out, when Kaoru caught sight of my bandages, which had been exposed by my sleeve sliding up just a little. He grabbed my arm and pulled back my sleeve, his fingers dancing around the bloodstained wrappings.

"Kyoya-senpai..." he breathed, and Tamaki ran over to see what the problem was. When he caught sight of my wrist, he dropped to the ground, shaking.

"Why?" he whispered.

"Haruhi, Honey, Mori, Ciel, Sebastian." I began, staring at my hands. "Tell them."

* * *

**A/N: Whelp, this one just got really interesting. I hope you understand why Ciel and Sebastian weren't able to do anything to stop Kyoya's father...**


	17. Confession

**A/N: Ah, fourteen. That's how many reviews I've gotten so far! O.O YAY! And it may seem like this fic is coming to an end, but I'm not even close to done. I hope you're in the mood for a lot more chapters.**

* * *

4:47 PM

"Haruhi, Honey, Mori, Ciel, Sebastian." I began, staring at my hands. "Tell them."

"Are you sure, Kyoya?" Ciel asked.

I nodded, dropping into a crouch next to the king. "Tamaki," I began. "I didn't do this."

He looked up at me, confusion written all over his tear-stained face. "What?"

"I didn't do this." I repeated.

"If you didn't, who did?" Tamaki stood and looked expectantly at me.

"It was his father." Mori said, and the twins and Tamaki gasped.

"Takashi is telling the truth," Honey interjected. "We didn't want to tell you because we don't want you to move away, Tama-chan."

"Is this... Is this about the club?" Tamaki asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I'm afraid so, Tamaki." Sebastian began, he and Ciel completely calm. "Kyoya's father is not happy about his youngest son spending all of his time here."

"He took to abuse as a way to communicate this to his son," Ciel cut in. "But it didn't seem to work the way he wanted it to. Kyoya remained here, and when Sebastian and I found out, we decided to put a stop to it. That's how his father got his sprained and broken arms."

Tamaki stood up, still shaking. "But the scars... You lied... Why?"

"Regardless of the fact that this was my father's doing, I cannot let the family business suffer for his actions. Had I said something sooner, his business would have collapsed and my brothers and I would have nothing." I explained.

Hikaru and Kaoru were staring at the rest of us, wide-eyed. Neither one had said a word, but I could see that Kaoru looked sympathetic, while Hikaru just looked mad.

"Kyoya-senpai..." Kaoru began, but before he could say any more, Hikaru cut in.

"Where is that bastard?" he mumbled, then raised his voice to a scream. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

"Hikaru, please. Try to stay calm. Killing my father will only result in disaster all around." I said, glancing over at the fuming twin.

"I'm sorry, senpai." Kaoru muttered, staring at his feet. "We should have known that you wouldn't hurt yourself like that."

"Don't be." I sighed. "It was actually a good thing. This gave me time to explain everything to you."

"Stop being so positive!" Hikaru screamed. "There is in no way a good side to all this! You just sat by and let your father do that to you! How can you be so calm?!"

"Hikaru, please calm down. Control your emotions. We need to think rationally." Kaoru placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and pulled him into a hug.

"Y... You're right. I'm sorry, Kaoru." Hikaru whispered, the sound barely audible.

"That suicide thing yesterday. It was staged, right?" Tamaki asked.

"Yes, it was. I apologize for making you all worry like that. I only just decided to tell you about my father, but Honey, Haruhi, Mori, Ciel, and Sebastian already knew, so I figured it was just a matter of time before you guys found out, too." I was all business now.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you'd actually tried to kill yourself." he laughed, then slowly regained his composure. "Men, we have a new mission: Protect Kyoya and keep this whole affair a secret!"

"How do you suggest we do that?" Haruhi asked, taking a seat on one of the couches.

"Um... I hadn't actually thought of that yet. Does anyone have any ideas?" Tamaki turned to the other hosts.

"Kyoya didn't get hurt until he went back to the dining room to get his notebook." Mori pointed out.

"Hey, good idea, Takashi!" Honey laughed. "We could just make sure that Kyo-chan and his dad aren't in a room alone together."

"Good thinking, Honey-senpai." Tamaki smiled. "That's settled, then. We'll proceed with the plan as before, but with a closer watch on Kyoya."

"Fine." I sighed, picking up my notebook.

"I suppose it's my turn?" Ciel asked.

"Yep." Tamaki replied, then turned and left the music room, calling over his shoulder as he did so. "Be sure to report back tomorrow!"

"Kyoya-senpai, was that dream...?" Kaoru asked, but trailed off.

"It was about my father, if that's what you're asking." I stood and walked to the door. "Shall we go, Ciel?"

"I see no reason not to." the young demon replied, and we headed off down the hall, Sebastian following closely behind.

* * *

5:15 PM

Dinner passed uneventfully, though my father was nervous about Ciel and Sebastian staying with us, and I did see Yuuichi shoot me a grateful look that was somehow sympathetic as well. I could tell that he was glad that I'd appeared when I did, but he wasn't too happy that I'd gotten hurt as a result._ Hmm,_ I thought._ Though it may seem that the three of us can't stand each other, we are always there when the others need us, even if we can't say anything._

I thought back to all the times that I had been hurt while my brothers sat quietly by, and found that I bore no resentment to them for it. _I probably would have done the same,_ I realized.

Soon after, the two demons and I excused ourselves from the table and returned to my room. Ciel sat on a couch as I took out my homework for the night.

"Master Kyoya," my demon began. "You were so set on keeping your father's actions a secret. What made you change your mind?"

"As I said before, they would have found out sooner or later. I merely saved myself a lot of drama and tears. And it did seem as though Haruhi was going to tell them anyway." I explained.

"So why not let her?"

"There would have been too many questions, and Hikaru tends to let his emotions run wild. My telling him kept him from being mad at me."

"Well, alright then."

* * *

**A/N: Hmm... The plot thickens... What tragedies will befall our beloved Host Club next? Feel free to make a prediction in a review.**


	18. Confrontation

**A/N: Ehmagerd! Seventeen reviews! Just for that, I'm gonna make this chapter extra long. And this time, when I say it'll be long, I really do mean it. Anyway, on we go**

* * *

Three Weeks Later

11:16 PM

I ran down a long, dark corridor, trying to escape the red eyes that had been following me. My destination was just ahead, a lone door at the very end.

I stretched out my arm, only to be snatched back by a dark figure. A cold hand wrapped around my waist, another on my shoulder. An icy voice whispered in my ear as I struggled to breathe. "Come now, did you really think it would be so easy to escape?"

I was suddenly overcome with the urge to fight. As though it had a mind of its own, my leg swung back and connected with my attacker's calf. I dragged my heel down the length of his shin, scraping away several layers of skin and drawing blood.

"Now, now, you shouldn't have done that." The figure tightened his grip around my waist and dug his nails into my shoulder. I yelped in pain, and heard the figure chuckle. The skeletal hand on my waist moved to cover my mouth, and I felt myself begin to descend into blackness.

Suddenly gripped with a new wave of terror, I opened my mouth in a silent scream and, on instinct, bit down on the hand that was raised to my mouth. Rather than yelping in pain, like I'd expected, the figure merely began to laugh. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" it hissed, and the hand I'd bitten gripped my scarred wrist. Nails sliced my skin, and I screamed as the blood flowed to the floor. A fist socked my gut, and teeth sank into my other arm.

My veins filled with fire, and I fell to the cold, sticky ground, my mouth filling with blood, my heart pounding in my ears, the dark red liquid now pouring from my body. The face of my father stood over me, and I reached my hand up toward him.

"You will never be worthy of the Otori name." he said in disgust, and his foot connected with my neck. I felt my lungs collapse in on themselves, and the blackness crept into my vision. The last thing I saw before it overtook me was my father's face laughing down at me, the cold, cruel sound ringing in the hallway...

* * *

1:58 AM

I woke up screaming, my pajamas clinging to my clammy skin. Instantly, a hand clamped tightly over my mouth, and the irritated face of Ciel Phantomhive glared down at me.

"Shut up! Are you trying to wake up all of Japan?" he hissed.

I pulled his hand away from my mouth and sat up, shooting him daggers as he moved to stand at my side. "No. Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Well..." he trailed off, and chuckled at my horrified expression. "I'm kidding. The contract would never allow it."

"Good to know." I flopped back down and stared at the ceiling, my brain running at a million miles an hour. Luckily, my thoughts were interrupted by Sebastian.

"Master Kyoya," he said, holding out a teacup. "Drink this. It will help."

"Thank you, Sebastian." I sat up and took the tea, drinking down the warm liquid in three gulps.

"Now, Master, please get some rest." Ciel requested.

"Fine. Good night." I groaned, collapsing back to my pillow. A single thought ran through my head before I fell asleep. _That tea works fast..._

* * *

7:15 AM

"Master Kyoya, it is time to get up." Sebastian shook me awake, dodging the teacup I threw at him.

"Come on, sir. You have to go to school." Ciel chided, catching the cup as it flew past Sebastian.

I growled, my hand feeling around the nightstand for something else to throw when the duvet I'd been under disappeared, leaving me shivering. My body curled into a ball, which was promptly soaked.

"You were right, master. He is worse than you were." Sebastian joked, ignoring the evil looks I was shooting him.

I rolled off the bed, landing in a crouch with another growl. "Must you always wake me in such a manner?" I asked, gesturing to my soaked pajamas.

"When you refuse to get up, yes." We glared at each other for a moment, seeing who would give first. The little contest was interrupted by my phone. With a sigh of irritation, I answered it.

"Yes, Tamaki?" I was mentally cursing the blonde. _Who calls at this ungodly hour, anyway? Oh, right. He does._

"Kyoya! I just had the most brilliant idea!"

"I suppose you're going to tell me what it is now, right?"

"No, I'll tell you at school."

"Then why did you call me in the first place?" I let the irritation seep into my voice. He had a right to know that he was pissing me off.

"I...I...I just wanted to tell you."

"Tamaki, please stop making pointless calls at such ungodly hours." I hung up, tossing the phone over the railing and onto the couch below. "I'm going to take a shower, since I'm up." I told the demons, then descended the stairs and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

7:55 AM

"Kyoya! Ciel! Sebastian!" Tamaki called from the school gates.

"What is it, Tamaki?" I sighed as I approached, enjoying the feeling of having my arms finally free. Sebastian had decreed the previous night that I could stop wearing those confounded bandages.

"I need you to go to the club room. Everyone else has arrived. I'm just waiting for Haruhi." he explained vaguely, peering past me to look for the short brunette.

"Fine." I swept past him and toward the club room. When I got there, I found Honey was eating cake, Mori was sitting with him, and Hikaru and Kaoru were playing a video game.

"Hi, Kyo-chan!" Honey called, waving to me before taking another bite of cake.

I gave a small wave, sitting down on one of the couches.

A minute later, Tamaki appeared, pulling Haruhi behind him. Everyone sat on couches and chairs that had been arranged in a circle, looking expectantly at the boss.

"Right, well, I was thinking-" Tamaki was cut off by Hikaru.

"That never ends well." he said, earning him a punch on the arm from his brother.

"You were saying, boss?" Kaoru gestured for Tamaki to continue.

"I was thinking about how we've all been guarding Kyoya from his father, and I think we're doing a good job. Right, Kyoya?" he asked, and I obligingly pulled up my sleeves.

"Yeah. Nothing's happened in three weeks. My scars are even starting to fade." I pulled my sleeves back down and looked curiously at the King. "Why do you ask?"

"We may be doing a good job of guarding you, but it shouldn't be necessary."  
"Where are you going with this?" Haruhi asked cautiously.

"Gentlemen, we are going to confront Kyoya's father about this matter!"

"No." the twins said in unison.

"Tamaki, things are just getting back to normal. Don't stir up trouble by confronting my father." I pointed out, and the other hosts nodded in agreement, including Ciel and Sebastian.

"But... But..." Tamaki spluttered, trying to come up with an argument. "But the longer we wait the more chance there is of him forgetting! And he could just turn around and do it again as soon as we decide that it's okay to stop guarding Kyoya!"

"That is always a possibility," Haruhi mused, thoughtful. I could see the gears in her head turning. "Who knows how long this was going on without interruption? He seems sadistic, so the likelihood of him continuing this as soon as the guard lets up is high, and we can't very well report him to the police, so..." She looked up at us all. "I think confronting him is the only way to go."

"I agree with Haru-chan!" Honey cried.

"Me, too." Mori added.

"I really don't think this is a good idea. Aren't you worried about your families?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Tamaki looked at me in confusion.

"The Otori group is just as powerful as your families. I have no doubt that this would make your families enemies of my father. We don't want to start an all-out war, do we?" I pointed out. Everyone considered this for a moment. "You all know I'm right."

"That does make sense," Haruhi thought aloud. "But wouldn't their families combined with Ciel and Sebastian be enough? I don't think your father would want four families and two demons as his enemies."

"I don't remember telling you about me being a demon." Ciel noted, looking at her with a confused expression on his face.

"Nekozowa said something about Sebastian's 'loss'. I can only assume he meant your soul." she explained.

"Well, that makes sense." The younger demon leaned back in his chair.

"Anyway," Tamaki began. "When should we confront your father, Kyoya?"

"Never. While Haruhi may have some good points, I really don't think the pros outweigh the cons."

"We're with the boss on this one," said Hikaru.

"The fact is that guarding you shouldn't be necessary." Kaoru added. "If we do this right, we may be able to settle this whole matter in one fell swoop."

"Ciel? Sebastian? Will you guys help us?" Tamaki turned toward the demons. Ciel looked to me out of the corner of his eye to see what my reaction would be. I gave a small nod, which clearly said, _There's no point in trying to stop them._

"Very well. We'll help you." the demon sighed, resting his chin on his hand.

"Well, that's settled, then. We'll formulate a plan later. For now, move out, men!" Tamaki sounded for all the world like a drill sergeant.

I sighed and headed off to class.

* * *

4:43 PM

The last of the girls trickled out the door as the King pulled out a detailed battle plan, laying it out on the table. It was complete with little figurines and even a model of my house.

"When did you make all this, senpai?" Haruhi asked nervously.

"And why did you build a scale model of my house?" I added.

"All in due time." Tamaki answered as the other hosts, demon duo included, crowded around the table. The boss pointed to a group of figurines that looked remarkably like the host club. "These," he began. "are us. This one," he lifted the roof of my house and separated it into its individual stories, pointing to a figure in glasses sitting in the dining room, moving the figures around as he continued speaking. "is your father, Kyoya. Now, we'll need to hypnotize him so he will never hurt Kyoya again-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Hikaru interrupted. "Hypnosis? Really, boss? That's the best you could come up with?"

"What, you have a better idea?" the tall blonde asked.

"Yeah. How about we sit down and be reasonable about all this?" Haruhi suggested.

"My father is not a reasonable man, no matter how much he may argue to the contrary." I told her, and she returned to staring down at the odd display of planning equipment on the table.

"There must be something we can do." Kaoru sighed.

"Well, there is one thing..." I trailed off, not wanting to have to play this card.

"What is it, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked, and everyone turned to me with curiosity in their eyes.

"There is one person who my father will listen to. She'll side with us on this, as well." I said tentatively.

"Who?" Mori inquired.

"My grandmother."

* * *

7:13 PM

The Host Club sat around the table with my family, my grandmother and my father on opposite ends. I was the first to break the silence.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Grandmother." I said.

"It was no trouble, dear." she replied, and I smiled. _She's so different from my father. How is that?_ I made a mental note to look into that later. "I love seeing you boys, but Yoshio never lets me come over."

"Dear, you should have your mother over more often. She's such a sweet woman." my mother sighed, placing her hand on my father's.

"I don't know if you'll want to come here more often, given what I have to tell you." Tamaki interjected, and I sent a slight wink in the direction of my brothers, quickly informing them of what I had planned. Yuuichi elbowed Akito in the side, quickly whispering something in his ear. My second eldest brother looked shocked, and I gave a small nod.

"Don't you dare, Kyoya. If you do this, you will never be head of the family business!" my father yelled, but shut up with a scathing look from Ciel.

"What on Earth are you talking about, Kyoya?" my mother asked.

"Do you know the business that Father always conducts with Yuuichi, Akito, and myself once you've retired?" I asked, turning to her.

"Yes. What about it?" My mother looked nervous, but she didn't know what was to come.

I nodded to my brothers, and the three of us stood.

"It isn't business," Tamaki began.

With another nod to Yuuichi and Akito, my brothers and I pulled back our sleeves, revealing scars.

"It's abuse." the tall blonde boy on my left finished.

"Oh, boys," my mother breathed, then turned to my father, a murderous glare in her eyes. "How could you do this?!" she screeched. "How could you do this to our sons?! They are your flesh and blood! They are your successors! How do you sleep at night?! How do you look at yourself in the mirror?! Your mother raised you better than this! This is sick! Despicable! You don't deserve-"

She was cut off mid-scream by my father's hand, which connected with her face at an alarming speed. She let out a gasp of pain, then fell to the floor, holding her burning cheek. My father turned to me, seething. "You spoiled little brat. I know this was your plan. You'll suffer for what you've done." He picked up a knife and lunged toward me, but was stopped by Sebastian, who grasped his once-broken wrist, which had only just healed.

In a panic, I sent a mental message to Ciel. _Stop your butler!_

"Sebastian, stop." Ciel winked at his butler, who got the message.

"Are you certain, master?" the tall demon asked, tightening his grip on my father's wrist, who gasped in pain and attempted to use his other arm to drive the knife into Sebastian's stomach, but the butler merely grasped his other wrist.

"Yes. Now, get this vile dog out of my sight. Teach him a few manners." the Earl smirked, his voice laced with a sadism I didn't know he possessed. Sebastian obliged and dragged my father out of the room, causing him to drop the knife in the process.

"Mother!" I raced to her side, dropping into a crouch at her side. "Are you alright?"

"I..." she whispered, barely audible. "I can't believe he did that."

"Mother," I reached up and moved her hand from her face, where a blue-green bruise was already beginning to form. Quickly, my medical knowledge kicked in and I turned to the club. "Tamaki, Haruhi, go get some ice and a small towel. Hikaru, Kaoru, get a pair of blankets. Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, keep an eye on Sebastian and make sure he doesn't do anything too crazy. Yuuichi, Akito, take care of Grandmother."

Without a word, the club members and my brothers headed off to their assigned duties. I helped my mother into a chair, telling her that it would be all right. It was a lie, but she didn't need to know that. Hikaru and Kaoru appeared, each holding a blanket, at the same time that Tamaki came back with some ice and a towel.

I wrapped one blanket around my mother's shoulders, tossing the other to Akito, who did the same for my grandmother. Taking the ice pack from Tamaki and wrapping it in the hand towel, I placed the cold bundle against my mother's cheek, moving her hand to the package. She held it in place, and I ran outside to see how Sebastian, Ciel, Mori, and Honey were doing.

What greeted me in the backyard was not the least bit surprising. My father was in tears, cowering from Honey and Mori, the former of whom was sitting on the latter's shoulders. Ciel and Sebastian, however, were nowhere to be seen.

"Honey-senpai? Where are Ciel and Sebastian?" I asked, and the boy-lolita turned to face me.

"I don't know." As he said that, Sebastian landed next to me, Ciel in his arms.

"Sebastian!" the little lord yelled. "Put me down!" The butler complied, placing his master on the ground. I looked around. Honey and Mori had already turned back to my father, but were still in earshot, so we whispered. "You wanted to see us?"

"Yes, that's correct. Initiate Phase Three."

"As you wish."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry this one took so long. But that is because it ****_is_**** long, so...**


	19. Phase Three

**A/N: Thank you guys so much! It seems that the number of reviews is remaining consistent with the number of chapters... Anyway, I have taken the liberty of writing a new chapter. I do hope you'll leave a review.**

* * *

7:19 PM

As Ciel and Sebastian disappeared to do as I'd requested, I raced back inside to check on my mother. The swelling had gone down on her cheek, and she'd stopped mumbling incoherently. As for my grandmother, the shocked expression she'd worn was gone, the color had returned to her face, and she was now shaking, the fury evident from the way she was gripping the armrests.

"How dare he?!" I heard her hiss to herself. "Disgracing the Otori name like that. He doesn't deserve such a wonderful family. I'll take everything from him. He's been an ungrateful little brat ever since he was born..." I tuned her out, instead focusing my attention on my mother.

"It's going to be all right." I reassured her, pulling her into a hug. "Now that you know, the madness can stop."

"B-But he... How could..." she stammered before bursting into tears and burying her face in my shoulder. I patted her back reassuringly, handing her a tissue box as I stood up.

"I promise everything will be explained later. I just need to go check on something." I turned on my heel and raced out the door and to my room. Flipping open my laptop, I pulled up the live 3-D model of my house, selecting the bug sweep function. As expected, there were now small dots all over the house. Switching to the camera sweep function, I smiled as several dots came into view, marking the positions of the cameras.

"Has the loop been sent to the other computers?" I asked, and the Earl replied from just behind me, probably thinking that he'd sneak up on me.

"Yes, Master Kyoya. Yours is the only one that can see the bugs and cameras." I nodded, typing in a few commands.

"And the statue?"

"In position." There was a silence for a moment, then it seemed a new question crossed the Earl's mind. "Have you selected a victim yet?"

"I believe Hikaru will be best suited to play the role, though he can't know. Ensure that he is in position at the appropriate time without giving him reason to suspect anything."

"When would you like this to happen?"

"After club events tomorrow. Can you do that?"

"Sebastian won't like it."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes, I can do that. Is there anything else?"

"No, that will be all."

* * *

The Next Day

4:43 PM

The doors closed behind the last of the guests, and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. "How much longer do we have to stay here, Sebastian? I miss my manor." he whined.

"We can leave Japan at any time, Young Master. However, returning to Phantomhive Manor is out of the question. Everyone in England thinks you dead. Think of the chaos that would arise if you were to suddenly reappear." his butler reminded him.

The young Lord sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Hold up," Hikaru began. "Why does everyone think you're dead?"

"Well, technically speaking, I am."

"No, you're not." he protested. "I'm talking to you right now."

"Sebastian, explain how I'm dead to Hikaru. I want some cake." Ciel stood and walked over to Honey-senpai, saying something to him before sitting down at the table, a piece of cake in his hand.

"My master was temporarily forced to share his body with the soul of Alois Trancy." the demon butler explained. "Earl Trancy made a contract with his demon maid, which essentially ensured that my master would become a demon."

"Why did Alois want Ciel to become a demon?" Haruhi asked.

"Mr. Faustus and I were battling for my master's soul. Earl Trancy became jealous and decided that he didn't want either of us to have his soul, thus requesting of his maid that my master become a demon."

"That still doesn't answer the question of why everyone in England thinks he's dead." Hikaru pointed out.

"There were a few people in England that knew of the contract. They had to think that I had taken my master's soul."

"Well, that makes sense." Hikaru leaned back on the couch.

"Hey, Haruhi." Kaoru began. "Can we come over to your house today?"

"No. The last time you guys came over, I nearly ended up getting kissed by one of those Zuka Club girls."

"That wasn't our fault!" Tamaki protested.

"Please, Haru-chan? Can we come over?" Honey pleaded.

The natural type sighed. "Fine. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

"Yay!" the twins screamed in perfect unison. I merely continued writing things down, not missing the look that Ciel shot Sebastian, who nodded and immediately disappeared, returning moments later and again nodding at his master.

* * *

4:53 PM

The Host Club, Ciel and Sebastian were all walking through the courtyard towards Tamaki's limo, where his driver was waiting to take us to Haruhi's house.

Hikaru and Ciel were chatting nonchalantly about God knows what when Ciel froze. "Did you just hear something?" he asked.

"No." the ruder of the little-devil types replied.

As he said that, we heard a sound of stone grinding on stone, then Kaoru screamed, "Look out!" Everyone looked up, gasping in fear as we saw a massive statue of an angel crashing through the sky, clearly going to land precisely where Hikaru was currently standing, paralyzed with fear.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry to do this again. I really like to mess with your heads, in case you hadn't noticed, and what better way to do that than when a character is in mortal danger?**


	20. Falling Angels

**A/N: You wished it, and I made it so. Another chappie today to thank you guys for the reviews and apologize for the cliffhanger. I can't seem to stop posting those!**

* * *

4:54 PM

Everyone looked up, gasping in fear as we saw a massive statue of an angel crashing through the sky, clearly going to land precisely where Hikaru was currently standing, paralyzed with fear. Ciel was the first to react, throwing himself at the twin and knocking him out of the angel's path. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough momentum to carry himself forward, and so the angel crashed down on top of the Earl.

The dust cleared, and we saw something that both amazed and terrified us. Ciel was lying on the ground, staring up at his demon butler, who was crouched over his master, using his own body as a shield. The wings from the angel were perched on the demon's back, a sight I admired for a moment before they disintegrated.

"Young master," Sebastian began, standing and helping the Earl to his feet. "You really must stop throwing yourself into the paths of falling angel statues."

"I wouldn't have done it the first time if you hadn't been so bloody hard to take a picture of!" Ciel retorted before turning his attention to the fallen host.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru cried, running over to where his brother sat, rubbing his head, clearly disoriented. "Hikaru, are you alright?"

"Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, looking up at his doppelganger. His confused expression was quickly replaced with a panicked one as he saw the crumbled statue. "Oh, God! Ciel, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm a demon, remember?" Ciel replied. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy is all."

"Well, that's good." Ciel helped him to his feet, and we all headed toward Tamaki's car. The King in question was shaking, unable to move on his own. Mori and Haruhi were helping him toward the limo, while Honey was on Mori's shoulders, trying to calm the shell-shocked blonde.

"It's okay, Tama-chan. No one got hurt." the boy-lolita said, patting Tamaki's head as he did so.

"Where did that statue even come from?" Haruhi wondered.

"Who knows?" Hikaru sighed.

"That is rather worrisome, though. Hikaru, could you have done something to get on someone's bad side?" I asked as we slid into the limo.  
"Of course he could have. He's Hikaru." Haruhi reminded me.

"More so than usual, I mean. Could someone want you dead?" All eyes turned to the exhausted twin leaning on his brother's shoulder.

"Not that I can think of." Hikaru replied. "Then again, my memory's not the most reliable at the moment." Everyone fell silent, contemplating what had just happened.

* * *

5:13 PM

We all sat around Haruhi's living room, discussing Hikaru and the angel statue.

"Who do you guys think did that?" Haruhi asked, taking a sip of the tea she'd made.

"It could be any number of people. You know Hikaru. He's not the most sensitive person on the planet, and he does tend to let his emotions take over." Kaoru was saying. "It's not that far-fetched of an idea when you think about it."

"I take offense to that." Hikaru piped up.

"Come on. You know it's true." his brother shot back, a goofy grin on his face.

"Are we sure this isn't like what happened with Bossa-nova?" Tamaki asked. "Whoever did this could be after Ciel."

"That's a distinct possibility," I chimed in. "But as Sebastian said earlier, everyone who knew about the contract thinks he's dead. Then again, it's best to look at all possibilities. Whoever did this may have just used Hikaru as a pawn, knowing that Ciel would jump in to save him."

"That could be it." Honey interjected. "But who would want Ci-chan dead?"

"I have an idea." Ciel spoke up.

"Young Master, you don't mean-" Sebastian was cut off by the Earl.

"Yes, Sebastian. I mean him. Investigate this matter at once."

"As you wish, my young Lord." The butler stood, bowed, and disappeared out the door. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the space where the butler had just been.

"Do you ever get used to that?" Hikaru asked. Ciel just smirked at him and returned to his tea.

"Hey, Ciel, what were you and Sebastian talking about earlier? He's had to save you from falling angel statues before?" Haruhi asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"I once got ahold of a rare camera that showed what the person being photographed loved most." the Earl explained. "I set my servants to the task of capturing a photograph of him, but this proved exceedingly difficult, what with him being a demon and all.

"Eventually, I had the gardener throw an angel statue at me so that he would be required to step in. It worked, though I never did get to see the photograph."

"Why did him being a demon make it hard to get a photo of him?" Kaoru asked.

"The person being photographed needs to stay still for a full ten seconds."

"It's an old camera, I presume?" I asked.

"Late nineteenth century, yes."

"Do you still have it?" Hikaru asked, and I had an idea of what he was thinking.

"Hikaru, the camera only shows things that are dead." Ciel pointed out.

"Oh." Hikaru sighed._ Emotional idiot,_ I thought.

* * *

2:12 AM

The view before me switched from one of my father laughing coldly as everything went black to one of my ceiling, which was partially obscured by the blonde boy standing over me. "Kyoya." he whispered, shaking me to be sure I was awake. "Don't worry. It's just a dream. He can't hurt you anymore."

I shook my head, sitting up. Tamaki sat down next to me, and I was the first to break the silence. "I don't understand." I muttered. "My father can't hurt me anymore, so why hasn't the dream gone away?"

"Is it still the same?" he asked.

"No, it's a little different."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, the first part's always the same. The corridor, the figure, the fighting back. Everything still starts to go black, but I panic and bite the hand covering my mouth. The figure laughs at me and says, 'You're a feisty one, aren't you?,' and its claws dig into my wrist." I hesitated, not wanting to say the next part, but a nod of understanding from Tamaki helps me keep talking. "It socks me in the gut and bites my other arm. My veins fill with fire, and I fall to the ground."

"That's awful." the blonde boy whispered. "I'm so sorry, Kyoya."

"There's more." He looked surprised by this statement, and I continued. "My father appears, and I reach out to him for help. He says, 'You will never be worthy of the Otori name,' and steps on my neck until I black out. That's generally when I wake up." The King wrapped his arms around me, patting my back comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Kyoya. We won't let him hurt you."

"I know, Tamaki." I pulled away from him and lay back down, burying my head in the duvet on my bed. After a minute, I felt the extra weight move from my bed and heard footsteps descending the staircase.


	21. Betrayal

**A/N: Well, it's official. The number of reviews has quickly surpassed the number of chapters! *holds up trophy* I'd like to thank all of my readers for this prestigious award.**

* * *

5:23 PM

"Master Kyoya," a maid whispered, poking her head through my door. "Your mother wishes to see you."

"Very well." I stood and followed the maid down the hall to my mother's office. She was sitting at her desk, analyzing papers and looking very distressed. "Hello, Mother."

She looked up from her work with a steely look in her eyes, her gaze softening as she realized that it was only me. The door closed behind me as I stepped into the room. "Hello, Kyoya. Have a seat. I have an important matter to discuss with you." she began. I obliged, sinking into a cushy armchair. "I've already spoken with your brothers, and from what they've told me, you were affected the most by your father's actions. Is that correct?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yes, that's correct, though Yuuichi and Akito suffered no small amount of mental torture."

"Now, I have been thinking of every possible course of action and the various consequences of each. One scenario is that your father goes to jail for his crimes. This would mean that news of the events that have been playing out for quite some time would be exposed to the general public. Just think of the political uproar! Obviously, that option is out of the question.

"The next possibility is that we simply leave this situation unresolved. This is also out of the question because your grandmother and I cannot stand to leave this as it is. Regardless of the fact that your friends are currently doing a fantastic job of guarding you, we cannot allow your father's actions to go unpunished.

"The third possibility seems to be the most viable option. Your grandmother suggested that she transfer ownership of the company to you or one of your brothers. Naturally, it will take some time to decide which one of you will get the company, so until then, your grandmother will take over for your father."

I nodded in understanding. "Yes, Mother." I stood and left the room, returning to my own secluded chambers.

* * *

10:47 PM

I ran down a long, dark corridor, trying to escape the red eyes that had been following me. My destination was just ahead, a lone door at the very end.

I stretched out my arm, only to be snatched back by a dark figure. A cold hand wrapped around my waist, another on my shoulder. An icy voice whispered in my ear as I struggled to breathe. "Come now, did you really think it would be so easy to escape?"

I was suddenly overcome with the urge to fight. As though it had a mind of its own, my leg swung back and connected with my attacker's calf. I dragged my heel down the length of his shin, scraping away several layers of skin and drawing blood.

"Now, now, you shouldn't have done that." The figure tightened his grip around my waist and dug his nails into my shoulder. I yelped in pain, and heard the figure chuckle. The skeletal hand on my waist moved to cover my mouth, and I felt myself begin to descend into blackness.

Suddenly gripped with a new wave of terror, I opened my mouth in a silent scream and, on instinct, bit down on the hand that was raised to my mouth. Rather than yelping in pain, like I'd expected, the figure merely began to laugh. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" it hissed, and the hand I'd bitten gripped my scarred wrist. Nails sliced my skin, and I screamed as the blood flowed to the floor. A fist socked my gut, and teeth sank into my other arm.

My veins filled with fire, and I fell to the cold, sticky ground, my mouth filling with blood, my heart pounding in my ears, the dark red liquid now pouring from my body. The face of my father stood over me, and I reached my hand up toward him.

"You will never be worthy of the Otori name." he said in disgust, and his foot connected with my neck. I felt my lungs collapse in on themselves, and the blackness crept into my vision. The last thing I saw before it overtook me was my father's face laughing down at me, the cold, cruel sound ringing in the hallway...

* * *

1:29 AM

"Kyo-chan! Wake up!" Honey-senpai hissed, shaking me awake. I shot upright and out of my bed, face planting on the floor.

"Ow..." I groaned, sitting up and rubbing my head. "Honey-senpai? What's wrong?"

"You were talking in your sleep again, Kyo-chan. Were you having a bad dream?" he asked as I stood up on shaky legs and flopped onto my bed.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He was looking at me with genuine concern.

"Not really." I crawled under the covers and pretended to be asleep. After a minute or two, I heard soft footsteps descending the stairs.

A few more minutes later, the contract seal on my wrist began to burn. Making sure to be silent as the grave, I removed my watch and touched the pentagram. The burning sensation stopped, and I found myself suddenly sitting on a very unfamiliar bed in a very unfamiliar room. The only light was coming from the moon, so I couldn't see much.

"Where am I?" I wondered aloud. There was a whooshing sound, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my back with someone pinning me down, a cold blade to my throat.

"State your name and business here, intruder." hissed the voice of my mother.

"Mother?" I croaked, struggling to breathe. "Please. I mean no harm." The words came out jagged, almost broken.

"Silence, or I'll cut out your tongue." A lamp came on, and my father's face appeared next to my mother's.

"What are you waiting for, dear?" he chuckled. _Sadist,_ I thought. "Kill him. He's of no use to us anymore."

"No. Not yet." she replied. "Let's make him suffer instead, shall we?" The knife moved from my throat, but the relief only lasted an instant. The next thing I knew, a fiery pain unlike anything I'd ever known was slowly moving its way up the side of my leg, intensifying at my hip.

I opened my mouth to scream, which I soon found to be a mistake. A piece of cloth gagged me, keeping me from speaking or calling for help. A clawed hand grasped my forearm, and the fire was ignited there as well. _Sebastian! Ciel!_ I cried out through my thoughts. _Help! Don't let them do this_!

"My, my," came Sebastian's voice from the corner.

"You really think we'd help you?" Ciel added. I heard more voices, cheering my parents on. Though my brain was clouded with pain and hatred, I managed to pick out the voices of the host club members.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, another cliffhanger. I apologize, but they're fun to write.**


	22. Only Just A Dream

**A/N: That last chapter was kind of a little Valentine's Day present for you guys, since I have a four-day weekend that goes from today through Monday. Anyway, there is one review I want to respond to since the person wouldn't allow a PM.**

**Night Owl's Shadow: I know how you feel. I hate it when people post cliffhangers, too, but I can understand why they do it. I mean, they are so damn fun to write, and the anticipation of how people will react is one of the best feelings ever, but what did you mean, "I hate cliffhangers like this"? Did I post a specific kind of cliffhanger or something? Please elaborate. I gots to know!**

* * *

5:49 AM

"Master Kyoya!" Ciel hissed, shaking me awake once more. "Are you alright?"

"That... It was a dream?" I asked of no one in particular.

"Whatever it was, it sounded pretty bad. You were thrashing around a lot. It took forever for me to finally wake you up."

"So none of that really happened." I breathed a sigh of relief, my hand unconsciously flitting to my leg to check for blood or a scar. Nothing. "How? It all seemed so real. I even felt the knife. The blood was actually sticky..."

Ciel disappeared from my side, sliding a ceiling tile back into place just as Honey-senpai appeared at the top of the stairs. "You okay, Kyo-chan?" he asked. I nodded, keeping my gaze down. He must not have believed me, because he walked over and sat down next to me. "Was it the dream?"

"No." I choked out. "It was a different one."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He held out Usa-chan, and I took the bunny. I don't know why, but it was actually comforting.

"I...No." I stammered, handing the bunny back to Honey. "I'm going to take a shower." I stood and walked to the bathroom, and once the door was closed behind me, I let the tears fall.

* * *

4:23 PM

"Hey, Honey-senpai," I heard Kaoru whisper to the boy-lolita. "Did something happen to Kyoya-senpai? He's acting a little weird today."

"I think he had a different nightmare last night. He wouldn't say what it was about, though." the small blonde boy replied. I could feel at least two different pairs of eyes boring into me, but I ignored them, instead focusing on my notebook.

News of my nightmares quickly spread to the rest of the club, and within the minute, the hosts were shooting me worried glances. I did my best to tune them out, but it's really hard to do that when there are eight pairs of eyes glued to you for an extended period of time.

* * *

1:18 AM

I lay awake in my room, staring at the ceiling after having woken from my frighteningly real dream about being beaten by my parents while everyone I knew just cheered them on. I'd made sure to keep my breathing even and relaxed, just in case Kaoru was awake.

Just when I felt the silence begin to get suffocating, it was shattered by the creaking of a door. Fighting to keep my breathing under control, I slowly rolled over until I was facing the staircase, my hand resting on the handle of the knife I kept under my pillow, just in case. As the figure slowly climbed the stairs, I began to theorize about who would be breaking into my room in the middle of the night and why. These thoughts were cut off completely when the figure reached the top of the stairs and stepped forward into the moonlight

The light briefly illuminated the face of my father as he approached me, a knife glinting in his hand._ Don't panic, Kyoya._ I reminded myself. _This is probably just a dream. And even if it isn't, you have your knife. You'll be fine._ It was almost impressive how incredibly see-through that lie was.

A hand clamped my mouth shut. "You shouldn't have dared go against me, Kyoya," my father hissed. "You've cost me my company. That little stunt will cost you your life."

I whipped my knife out from under my pillow, but it was quickly knocked away. "Don't try to fight me. Those servants of yours can't save you now."

"On the contrary," said a voice from behind my father. In an instant, he was on the ground, pinned there by Sebastian, the knife held to his throat.

"You will never learn," Ciel mimicked from next to me, quoting what my father had said to me over a month prior. "Honestly. You should know by now that we'll never let anything happen to him."

With a nod from his master, Sebastian flipped the knife around and knocked my father unconscious with the handle. The demon butler then lifted my father into his arms and looked to Ciel and me for orders. "Kill him, but make it look like suicide." my demon ordered.

"No!" I whisper-shouted. "You cannot kill him. Lock him away somewhere, if you must, but don't let the media catch wind of it."

"Master?" Sebastian turned to the bluenette. Ciel nodded, and the butler vanished into the night, my father slung over his shoulder like so many potatoes.

"Well, Master Kyoya, shall we initiate Phase Four?" Ciel asked, turning to me. "I'm certain we can get him to cooperate and take the blame for the statue incident."

"Explain it to him carefully. We've all seen how unruly he can be."

"Yes, Master." And he, too, disappeared into the night.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this one's so short. I have come down with a case of writer's block. This is the best I can do for now. Fear not! There will be more soon.**


	23. Payback

**A/N: Thank you to Lmncake for giving me a brilliant idea for this chapter and therefore curing me of my writer's block, if only temporarily. Sorry if the wording in this chapter is a little fancy; I'm rereading TFIOS, and the people in that book are waaaay too witty to be real. My hat's off to you, John Green.**

* * *

Third Person POV

1:21 AM

Ciel quickly followed Sebastian and Yoshio to an abandoned warehouse on the coast of Japan, on the outskirts of Okinawa. All was quiet, and Sebastian wasted no time in converting the space into a makeshift torture chamber, chaining Yoshio to a wall as Sebastian himself had once been. The room was full of everything from whips and knives to an assortment of Japanese foods.

"What are you doing here, Grell?" the young Earl asked, his voice laced with venom.

"I missed my Bassy, so I simply had to follow him when I saw him on the way here!" replied the blood-red reaper, landing next to the demon boy. "And he just happens to have the soul I need to collect!"

"You're here to kill Yoshio?"

"If he's the man that Bassy took into the warehouse, then yes."

"Very well. I have a proposition for you. You can have Sebastian for one night. From sunset to sunrise, he will be yours."

"Ooh! I like the sound of that!"

"But in exchange, you cannot kill Yoshio, and I need you get Undertaker for me."

"If I don't kill him, Will will get mad at me!"

"Would you rather have Sebastian for a night, or have Will be consistent in his dislike for you?"

The reaper debated this for a moment. "Okay, I won't kill him. What do you want with Undertaker?"

"That's my business," the little Lord replied. "Just go get him, or the deal's off."

"Fine, but I'll be back for Bassy!" Grell cried as he -or she, depending on how you look at it- disappeared over the rooftops, his chainsaw glinting in the moonlight.

Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, Sebastian was talking to Yoshio, who was just regaining consciousness.

"Humans are such interesting creatures," he chuckled as Yoshio looked around in a panic, struggling against his chains. Sebastian walked up to him and grasped his chin tightly. "It would be wise not to struggle. These chains are made from the strongest material known to the Underworld. You cannot break them. Not to mention that the more you struggle, the more they shrink." As he said this, the chains began to retract, little by little, into the wall.

"Make it stop!" Yoshio screamed as his arms were lifted above his head.

"Eventually, these chains will rip your limbs from your body. That is, if you keep struggling." As soon as the words had left the demon's mouth, Yoshio stopped struggling, and the chains returned to their full length.

"W-Where am I?" asked the quivering man chained to the wall. Sebastian ignored the question and set to work examining the vast array of torture devices at his disposal.

"I've been ordered not to kill you," he began. "But that doesn't mean I can't put you through intense physical pain. This is all for the safety of my masters. If they are in danger, I cannot allow you to live."

"I-I won't hurt them! I promise! Please let me go!" the human sobbed.

"No." The demon selected a knife and sped over to Yoshio with lightning speed, driving it into his wrist. The latter screamed in pain, twisting this way and that, which only served to further embed the knife in his forearm. "Humans like you make me sick. Weak. Helpless. Liars."

With each sentence, Sebastian struck the man with the whip. In a matter of seconds, Yoshio was a blubbering mess, hanging limply from the wall. "Make it stop..." he whined as the blood seeped through his clothes.

"What a pitiful creature," Sebastian laughed, continuing to whip the man with one hand and casually pinning the chains to the walls with the other for no reason at all. Besides, the demon took pleasure in seeing the human squirm.

A sudden flash of inspiration had the demon kneeling before Yoshio, holding up a tray of eel and pickled plum. This took the man by surprise, but he nevertheless leaned forward and ate one. Within the minute, he was groaning in pain, pleading with Sebastian to simply kill him.

"While it would bring me great pleasure to do so," the demon explained, striking Yoshio with the whip a few more times. "My master has forbidden me from doing so. I cannot kill you."

The only response from the writhing man was a groan of intense pain. Sebastian chuckled and gagged the man, binding his wrist to keep him from bleeding out. And the demon disappeared into the darkness to report back to his master.

* * *

Kyoya POV

1:18 AM

After Ciel and Sebastian took my father to God knows where, I flopped back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling._ I hope Ciel can find him,_ I thought before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

7:13 AM

"Morning, Kaoru," I mumbled as I made my way to the bathroom. He didn't respond, but I was still too sleepy to care. I didn't realize that anything weird was going on until after my shower, when I glanced at the couch that Kaoru was sleeping on. Or rather, where he had been. He was gone, and in his place was a note.

This caught my attention. I ran over to the couch and picked up the paper. It read:

_If you wish to see your dear friend again, bring Ciel Phantomhive to the top of the clock tower at midnight tomorrow night. We'll be waiting._

I didn't panic. _This is no big deal,_ I reminded myself. _We've got Sebastian. Kaoru will be fine._ Of course, this was before I saw the final note at the bottom of the page.

_P.S:,_ it read. _Send someone for your friend before then and he dies._ That made me worry. I whipped out my phone and called the club members on a group call, telling them to meet me in the club room in twenty minutes before hanging up. I grabbed my bag, ran down the hall to the kitchen, grabbed a muffin, and sprinted out to the car.

"Take me to school," I ordered as I slid into the seat. "And step on it!"

* * *

7:35 AM

The Host Club members, minus Kaoru, were sitting in the club room, all looking at me curiously. Hikaru, on the other hand, was staring at the door as though his brother might walk through at any moment. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke, as most of us were still waking up.

"Kyoya-senpai," the only twin present began. "Where's Kaoru?"

"Actually, that's why I called you all here so early." I explained, earning me a lot of strange looks. "Kaoru has gone missing. I found this where he was sleeping." I pulled out the note and laid it on the table.

"If you want to see your dear friend again," Tamaki read. "Bring Ciel Phantomhive to the top of the clock tower at midnight tomorrow night. We'll be waiting. P.S: Send someone for your friend before then and he dies."

"WHAT?!" Hikaru screamed. "You guys wait here. I'm going to get my brother back!"

"Hikaru, be reasonable." I cautioned.

"I am being reasonable! My brother's being held captive somewhere, and I'm going to go find him!"

"That won't do any good. If you go before midnight tomorrow, they'll kill him."

"He's right, Hikaru." Tamaki interjected, unusually calm. "We can't allow Kaoru to die. We'll simply have to wait until tomorrow night. Ciel can escape on his own, and if he can't, Sebastian will help him. It would go against their contract if he didn't."

"Come to think of it," Haruhi pointed out. "Where are Ciel and Sebastian?"

* * *

Third Person POV

Unbeknownst to the Club, Ciel and Sebastian were at that very moment, keeping watch over Kaoru.

"You're sure he'll stay asleep until tomorrow night?" Ciel asked, eyeing Kaoru's sleeping form with suspicion.

"Quite certain. The narcotic that I gave him is a powerful one. He may actually be asleep for longer than we intended. Of course, there will be no lasting effects." the butler replied.

"And what of Mr. Otori?"

"He won't be any trouble. I've seen to that."

"Good."

* * *

**A/N: Well? What did ya think? This is one of the more morbid and sadistic things I've written, so I gots to know what you thought! Actually, you should be glad that this is as long as it is. I was planning to make it a little shorter, but I figured it wasn't nearly long enough, and definitely too cliffhanger-esque.**


	24. Bloodstains

**A/N: Opposites attack. Keep that in mind.**

* * *

Kyoya POV

5:23 PM

I paced back and forth in my room, muttering incoherently to myself, keeping my voice down because Hikaru was in the bathroom. My fretting was cut short by Ciel appearing at the base of the stairs.

"What's got you so worked up?" the small demon asked.

"This," I hissed, throwing the paper at him in my rage. He caught it with inhuman dexterity, which I suppose was to be expected.

"If you want to see your dear friend again," he read. "Bring Ciel Phantomhive to the top of the clock tower at midnight tomorrow night. We'll be waiting. P.S: Send someone for your friend before then and he dies." He laughed, crumpling the note and tossing it over his shoulder. "Really? This is what you're worried about?"

"Oh, I'm not worried about that in itself. I know where he is. He's fine." I growled. "What really concerns me is that Hikaru might do something rash. It's not exactly unheard of."

"If you like, I can keep an eye on him."

"That would be fantastic. Go get Sebastian, would you? I need to talk to him about something."

"As you wish." The demon bowed deeply and disappeared. Sebastian appeared in his place a moment later.

"You wanted to see me, Master Kyoya?" he asked.

"Yes. Have you spoken to him?" I didn't have to say who "he" was. Sebastian nodded.

"He has agreed to go along with the plan. I have given him the appropriate instructions, and he knows his reasoning."

"Perfect. And what of my father?"

"He has been... Detained, and he should remain so until the company has been handed over to you."

"Excellent. You know the rest of this stage. Ensure that it is a success."

"Yes, my lord." And he, too, vanished as Hikaru walked back into the room.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked.

"No one. I was just thinking aloud."

"I hope Kaoru's okay, wherever he is." he whispered, staring off into space.

"Hikaru, Kaoru is tough. He'll be fine. I guarantee it." Thankfully, he didn't question why I was so confident.

* * *

5:34 PM

"Master Kyoya," said a maid, peering around my bedroom door. "Dinner is served."

"Thank you." I answered as Hikaru and I ducked past her and down the hall to the dining room, where my mother, brothers, and shockingly enough, my sister were already seated around the table. "Hello, Fuyumi. It's been a while. Where is Father?" I asked as I slid into my seat, feigning ignorance.

"He... He had to work late." I could hear the hesitation in my mother's voice as she struggled to make up a believable lie. The rest of the meal passed quietly, with only small attempts at conversation. After a while, I excused myself and Hikaru, and we returned to my room to study.

* * *

1:46 AM

The weight of reality crashed down on my mind as the bloodied hallway disappeared, replaced by the dark room I'd grown used to. I sat up slowly, running a hand through my damp hair and trying desperately to block out the memories of my nightmares.

_I don't understand this,_ I thought._ If this whole hellish ordeal is supposed to be over, why can't I just sleep normally? This is ridiculous._ After a few minutes, I decided to go and get something to eat. _Maybe I'm just hungry._ I slipped down the stairs, careful not to wake Hikaru, and down the hall to the kitchen. As I was rummaging through the cabinets in search of some kind of sustenance, a voice behind me caught me by surprise.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you." it said, and I whirled around, finding myself face-to-face with my older brother, Akito. "You know, for arranging that whole thing with the other day. And I'm sorry I never did anything to stop Father."

"It's not a problem. I would have done the same thing if the situation were reversed." I began to turn back to the pantry, but his next words made me turn back to him.

"But that's just it. The situation was reversed, and you helped us, even though it meant getting hurt yourself."

"That's completely different." I hissed, adamant. "You were being punished for my actions. I couldn't let that kind of injustice go on."

"I still feel like I owe you something. Yuuichi does, too."

"Well, don't. It was the right thing to do. I couldn't just stand idly by and watch you suffer because of my choices."

"Okay, but if there's ever anything you need from either me or Yuuichi, just ask."

"Alright." I turned back to the pantry, and heard Akito's footsteps receding down the hall. I grabbed a piece of bread and returned to my room, and though I kept telling myself to just forget about it, I couldn't.

* * *

7:15 AM

I rolled out of my bed and landed in a crouch, having just had a lengthy battle with Ciel and my alarm clock. Stumbling down the stairs and marveling at how every time the ground rushed up to meet me, it immediately receded, I made my way to the bathroom for my shower.

"Today had better be normal," I grumbled, knowing that the likelihood of that happening was incredibly low.

* * *

4:56 PM

The club had closed for the day, and the hosts (apart from Kaoru, whose absence was explained away as a cold) were discussing the best course of action for getting Kaoru back.

"Well, I don't see why I should have to be the bait!" Ciel was shouting.

"I'm not going to let my brother die! They asked for you, and they'll get you!" Hikaru screamed back.

"I have no intention of putting myself in danger!"

"You have Sebastian! You won't be in danger!"

"Perhaps," I cut in. "We should have someone go and look in the clock tower to see if anything or anyone is there. For all we know, whoever left the note and took Kaoru could have left some form of clue."

"That is a good point," Haruhi noted.

"Sebastian, go look in the clock tower for any hints regarding Kaoru's location." Ciel ordered.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian disappeared, returning a minute later with a bundle of blue fabric in his arms.

"What is that?" Tamaki asked. Sebastian said nothing, simply laid the object out on a table.

Hikaru ran his hands over the jacket. "This is Kaoru's," he whispered. "He had his name sewn into the back of all of his clothes." He fingered the embroidered letters, but his hand froze when he noticed the dark red liquid staining the back of the jacket.

Haruhi gasped. "Is that... Blood?"

"It looks like it." I confirmed.

"That's it. We have to find Kaoru NOW!" Hikaru made for the door, but Mori-senpai grabbed his arm, effectively holding him back.

"No, Hikaru. We can't risk anything happening to him."

"But he's my brother! I can't just wait for him to be thrown back to us! We need to save him NOW!"

"As much as I hate to admit it," I began. "Hikaru's right. If we wait for them to be ready to make the trade, they'll have the upper hand. We need to find him immediately."

"Finally you realize that!" Hikaru sighed, still in Mori's death grip. "Sebastian, where is he?"

"I believe he is already in the clock tower." the semi-stoic demon replied. Hikaru took off running the instant that Mori had released him, and we all followed, Sebastian and Ciel included.

The second we reached the clock tower, I knew something wasn't right. There was a certain aura about the place, like it was the embodiment of everything wrong in the world. While everyone else was busy quaking in fear, Hikaru was standing in the middle of the room, calling his brother's name. I, on the other hand, was staring at a figure lying just inside the shadow.

As I began to walk toward it, it became apparent that this was, in fact, Kaoru. "Hikaru, I think I've found him." I called over my shoulder, not breaking my careful stride or moving my gaze from the apparently unconscious host.

"KAORU!" Hikaru screamed, running past me to his brother's limp form. "Come on, wake up!" He shook the limp boy furiously, angry tears falling from his eyes. "Don't leave me alone! Wake up!"

I threw caution to the wind and ran over, quickly followed by the other hosts. The missing twin looked awful. He was lying in a pool of dark red blood that matted his orange hair, and his exposed skin had quite a few bruises on it. With everyone crouching around Kaoru in concern, I lifted his wrist and felt for a pulse, feeling myself grow pale; there was none.

My hands began to shake, and I allowed his wrist to fall. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the ground, and Tamaki was screaming at me to tell him what was wrong.

"He... He's..." I couldn't say it. But I didn't have to. The tears forming at the corners of my eyes said it all.

"No," Hikaru whispered. "NO!" His cry rang around the room as he gripped his brother's shoulders and shook him viciously. "YOU ARE NOT DEAD! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE! WAKE UP, KAORU! WAKE UP!"

He shook him for another minute or so, until Ciel laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hikaru," he began, but the former twin was in no mood to listen. He shoved the demon's hand away, turning and sprinting angrily out of the clock tower.

* * *

Hikaru POV

5:08 PM

The sight of my brother's limp body sent me to the brink of madness. "He... He's..." Kyoya couldn't bring himself to say the very words I never wanted to hear. He didn't have to, though. I could tell just by looking at his face. He was crying. Kyoya-senpai never cries.

I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't really care. All I knew was that my best friend was dead, and nothing I did would change that fact. My feet pounded on the pale pink floor of the hallways until I reached a dead end, a lone door just ahead of me. At this point, I didn't care whether or not I died; I'd lost my brother. My best friend. My other half.

The room I'd found was one of the several kitchens, which, thankfully, was empty. I sank to the ground, leaning against the door I'd just closed; I had a feeling at least one person would be trying to chase me down. Now that I was hidden away, my grief washed over me like a tsunami. Heavy sobs wracked my body, and I felt an overwhelming urge to hurt myself somehow, as punishment for not being able to save Kaoru.

Through my tear-filled eyes, I caught sight of a steak knife. Forcing myself to my feet, I slowly made my way to the sharp object caught in my gaze, leaning heavily on the countertops. As soon as the knife's handle was within reach, I snatched it up and fell back to the floor. More hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I slowly dragged the knife across my wrist, over and over again. The salt in the tears made the cuts hurt more, but I didn't care. The pain was a relief._ I'm sorry, Kaoru. I should have been able to save you. I'm so, so sorry,_ I thought as I changed directions and began to make a crisscross pattern along my forearm.

The blood was flowing freely from my wrist now, and I could feel myself growing weaker, but the dark crimson liquid coursing its way down my fingertips, dripping to the pale floor, was so utterly beautiful that I couldn't bear to stop it. _I'll see you soon, Kaoru._ I didn't even look up when the door slammed open and someone ripped the knife from my hand.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. You guys hate me, right? Well, fear not. It's always darkest before the dawn. Something good will happen soon... Or will it? Anyway, this chapter's so long by comparison because I got trapped in a manga storm and haven't posted all week. If it helps, I'd love to see what kind of violent ways you can come up with to kill me in a review. Really. Please. I beg you!**


	25. Resurrection

**A/N: Thirty-three reviews! You guys rock. New chappie.**

* * *

Kyoya POV

As Hikaru sprinted out of the room, the stunning reality began to sink in. Tamaki dropped to the ground and moaned in despair, Mori remained straight-faced, though I could see that he was shaking violently, Honey sprinted to Kaoru's body and sobbed into the latter's shirt, and Haruhi just stared at the ground. I, on the other hand, was in denial. _No. Kaoru is not dead. I refuse to believe it._

I knelt beside the limp host and lifted his arm again, feeling for a pulse. At first, there was nothing, and I almost resolved myself to the idea that he was actually , a slight beat began to pound beneath my hand. It was weak, but it was there.

"Impossible," I breathed, my medical instincts kicking into gear. "He's not dead." I pulled Honey away from Kaoru, pressing on the latter's abdomen with both hands. He took a shuddering breath, then another. Unconscious, but alive.

"Mori-senpai," I began, breathing a sigh of relief and biting my lip to keep from laughing in relief. "Get Hikaru and meet us in club room. He'll want to see this."

The stoic host appeared next to me, staring down at the now-conscious boy on the ground in front of me. "Right." He turned and ran out, dragging Mitsukuni behind him.

I brushed aside Kaoru's hair to take a look at the wound on his head. It was bleeding a lot, but head wounds tend to. After deciding that it was considerably less severe than it looked, I turned to Tamaki and Haruhi, who were now looking at me curiously.

"That wound on his head will need stitches. Let's get him back to the club room." I told them. Tamaki was instantly on his feet, ready to help me carry Kaoru to his brother.

With some help from Ciel and Sebastian, we made it back to the club room, where I cleaned, stitched up and bandaged Kaoru's head injury. Tamaki, Haruhi and I were just discussing who could have done this when Hikaru flew through the grand doors, quickly followed by Mori and Honey.

"KAORU! KAORU!" Hikaru screamed, skidding to a stop next to his brother's unconscious form.

"He's unconscious." I explained to him.

"Ugh, my head," groaned the host in question. "What happened? The last thing I remember was-" He was cut off by Hikaru wrapping him in a bear hug.

"Oh, thank God you're alright." he whispered.

"Can't... Breathe..." Kaoru forced out, and Hikaru let him go, opting to sit on the couch next to him. "So what happened, exactly? The last thing I remember, I was at Kyoya-senpai's house. He woke up from another nightmare, and I was going to check on him. Then I woke up here..." Kaoru froze as he caught sight of Hikaru's sleeve, which was slowly being soaked in blood. He carefully pulled back the sleeve, gasping as he caught sight of the scars. "Hikaru."

"It's nothing," Hikaru protested, pulling his arm away from Kaoru.

"What are you talking about?! You cut yourself?! Why, Hikaru?!" Kaoru hollered.

"Hikaru," I interjected. "Perhaps we should bandage that arm. Then you can explain everything to Kaoru."

"You're right, Kyoya-senpai." I stood and led Hikaru to the sink, rinsing the blood away and pouring disinfectant over them to make sure the cuts wouldn't become worse than they already were. He winced in pain and tried to pull his arm away, but I held fast. Once I was sure that the cuts were clean, I wrapped them in gauze and sent him back to his brother.

"Why did you do that to yourself?" Kaoru asked, his voice weak and shaking.

Hikaru wrapped his brother in another hug, his own voice shaking as he explained his reasons to Kaoru. "You were dead."

"Did you really think something so trivial as death would keep me from you?" Kaoru pulled away from his brother, looking him dead in the eyes to show how serious he was.

"Well... Yes."

"I'm sorry, Hikaru. I should have been more careful."

"It's not your fault. I should have been there to protect you. You shouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place."

"Hikaru, it's all right. Everything's fine now. Just... Promise me you'll never do that again." Kaoru gingerly held his brother's bandaged arm.

"I promise."

* * *

**A/N:This chapter took forever. I rewrote it three or four times. I even toyed with the idea of involving tetrodotoxin. But alas, the idea was so absurdly outlandish that I had to abandon it. Of course, if you read the chapter I had up for an hour or two, you know what I mean. Sorry it's so short. I had to post ****_something_****.**


	26. Normal is Fleeting

**A/N: I must say that I nearly died of happiness when I read your reviews. I was expecting a worse reaction because (and I don't want to sound conceited) Chapter Twenty-Four was kind of amazing, and it's hard to follow a chapter like that. Anyway, you guys are the best.**

* * *

5:04 AM

I bolted upright and immediately fell out of bed. Well, I would have, but a certain demon decided to swoop in and catch me.

"You seem to fall out of your bed a lot," Ciel noted.

"Put. Me. Down." I growled.

"Very well," He tossed me back onto my bed, and I sat up quickly, holding my head as a wave of dizziness struck me. "Is everything alright?" he asked, now rather concerned.

"It's fine. I just sat up too quickly, that's all." I brushed the dizziness aside, biting back a scream and scrambling towards the headboard as, for a moment, the figure of my father appeared at the foot of my bed, brandishing a knife, an evil glint in his eye.

"Master! Are you alright?"

I looked back to where my father had been, but he was gone.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. He leapt into the ceiling, and Mori appeared at the top of the stairs. I wasn't the least surprised, though; Ciel's sudden acrobatic leap into the ceiling had been warning enough.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You screamed."

"I'm alrigh-" I was cut off by a feeling not unlike a knife being driven into my side. My hands flew to the source of the pain, shocked to feel a blade protruding from the flesh, and a short scream escaped my mouth. "Aaaah! You madman!" I doubled over, glaring up at the smiling figure of my father, and Ciel was at my side in an instant.

"What's wrong?!" he asked, panicked. After all, how can you fight something that isn't there?

"Aargh!" I yelled, my hands gripping my side. "Ci...Ciel! This is an order! Make it stop!"

"An... Order?" Mori asked. Despite the pain, I gasped in shock, my thoughts racing. _Damn! He suspects something now. I'll have to induce amnesia._

"Gah!" I screamed. And just like that, my father disappeared as quickly as he'd come, taking the pain away with him. A loud_ thunk_ rang through the room, and I looked around, surprised to see Mori unconscious on the ground, a rather large bump forming on his forehead. "What the hell happened, Ciel?"

The demon merely shrugged. "You wanted to induce amnesia. So I did just that."

"You can read my mind?" I asked incredulously, lifting my shirt to search for blood or proof that my father had really been here, that he'd really stabbed me. I was surprised when I found none.

"Well, not inherently speaking, no. You sent that particular thought to me as an order. I merely fulfilled your wishes."

"Okay," I drew out the word for an absurd amount of time before finding something else to say. "This is kind of creepy. Anyhow, you're sure he won't remember?"

"Without a doubt, Master."

* * *

Mori POV

Unbeknownst to Kyoya and Ciel - probably - I wasn't actually unconscious. I heard every word of their exchange, and the metaphorical pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

_They made a contract?!_ I mentally screamed, still feigning unconsciousness. _What the hell?! Does anyone else know about this? If so, why didn't they say anything? I have to tell the others._

I groaned, pretending to be just waking up. Unsurprisingly, Ciel was gone, probably into the ceiling again. Kyoya was standing over me, looking only a little concerned.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting up slowly and rubbing my head.

"Damn," Kyoya muttered. "Amnesia." Then, turning to me, he asked a completely anticipated question. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I heard you scream."

"That's the last thing you remember?"

I nodded.

"Well, just to fill you in, I screamed because I woke up from a nightmare. You got worried, and came up here, where you hit your head. I don't know how you could have missed that bookshelf. It was right in front of you, but somehow you walked right into it."

"Odd." I replied, cutting the conversation short as I stood and walked toward the stairs.

"Mori-senpai?" Kyoya began, causing me to turn around and look at him curiously. _Could he possibly have figured out that I know about the contract?_

"Please keep tonight's events to yourself." He smiled an eerie smile, and it sent shivers down my spine. "There is no need to worry." He assured me. I nodded and continued down the stairs.

* * *

Kyoya POV

_Well, good,_ I thought as Mori went back to his makeshift bed. _He won't tell anyone. I didn't count on that odd stabbing incident, though. Damn hallucinations. Why can't you just leave me alone?_ Pushing it from my mind, I got up and went down to the bathroom to take a shower, focusing instead on the task of not falling asleep in the shower.

3:48 PM

The club was open for business, and the majority of our customers were surrounding Hikaru and Kaoru, who were sitting on a couch, much closer to each other than usual.

"What happened to your head, Kaoru?" one of the girls asked.

"What, this?" the one whom the question had been directed at replied, gesturing to the stitches. "I just fell down the stairs, that's all. It's no big deal."

"Oh, you poor thing!" another girl cried. "You're so brave!

"I wouldn't say that," Hikaru joked, looping an arm around his brother's shoulders. Satisfied that the story we'd made up about Kaoru's head was believed, I turned my attention back to my own customers.

* * *

2:12 AM

"Aaaagh!" I screamed, clawing at my father's wrist. He laughed it off and twisted the knife around in the flesh of my back, drawing more screams of pain from me.

"Filthy brat," he hissed, completely ignoring Ciel, who'd just charged up the stairs to my side.

"Master!" the demon yelled, staring down at me in horror as I writhed on my bed, agonized by pain that wasn't real. "What's wrong?"

"Kill him!" I choked out, gesturing to my father.

Ciel looked up at him. "There's no one there, Master."

"What are you talking about?" I howled. "He's stabbing me! Kill him! He's right there!"

"You're fine, Master Kyoya. No one is stabbing you. No one is there."

Just like before, the pain disappeared with my father. I quickly spun and lifted my shirt to show the demon my back. "There's a mark there, isn't there? He stabbed me! Didn't he? DIDN'T HE?!"

"He's delirious!" Sebastian yelled, pinning me down so Ciel could inspect my back.

"Master, there is no evidence of you ever having been stabbed." he told me.

"What?" I whispered.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter's so late. I got writer's block halfway through. Let me know if it sucks. And happy birthday to lmncake! *gets out random accordion* Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to lmncake! Happy birthday to you!**


	27. The Note

"Master, there is no evidence of you ever having been stabbed." he told me.

"What?" I whispered. _No,_ I thought. _No. He was here. He just stabbed me. There's no way that didn't happen!_ "That's impossible! He stabbed me! I felt the knife go into my back!" My voice was louder now, and Sebastian had sat me back up, but was still holding my arms behind my back.

Ciel leaned forward and studied my face, cupping my chin in his hand and angling my head toward the light, his brow furrowing as he clearly didn't like what he saw in my face.

"What is it?" I asked fervently, my eyes darting around the room. "Why are you restraining me? What reason could you possibly have for holding me down like this? Release me at once!"

Sebastian was forced to comply, and I somehow managed to jump to a high-up windowsill above the lower level, crouching there and anxiously flashing my eyes everywhere that someone could be hiding. _What if someone's here? Can my father get to me? What will happen when he does? Will I be able to defend myself?_ My mind raced along at a thousand miles an hour, and the two demons looked at me warily.

Ciel made to come towards me, but my words stopped him. "Stay back! Don't come any closer!" He froze in his tracks, and turned back to Sebastian, clearly telling him something. _They're plotting against me!_ I realized, straining my ears to hear their hushed conversation.

"...because of his father," Ciel was saying.

"That is most likely it," Sebastian agreed. "Shall I initiate the next stage?"

"If he's retained any of his sanity, I'll wager that's what he'll want done," Ciel agreed. "I'll keep an eye on him. You go get the others. That's an order."

"Yes, my young lord." Sebastian vanished into the night, leaving me alone with my demon.

"You know, we're not here to hurt you," he reminded me. "You ordered me not to lie. I couldn't even if I wanted to."

I considered this. "You're right." Then I realized where I was. "Could you... Er... Could you get me down from here?"

"You don't need to ask." Ciel smirked, and before I realized what was happening, I was back on the ground. Well, sort of. Ciel hadn't put me down yet.

"Can I get down now?" I asked, and the demon set me on my bed.

"You should get some rest. PTSD takes a lot of energy."

"Yeah," I agreed, then froze. "Wait, what? Did you just say PTSD? As in post-traumatic stress disorder?"

"That is correct." Ciel replied, completely calm. I, on the other hand, was doing my best to not attempt to strangle him.

"You mean to tell me that I have post-traumatic stress disorder and you neglected to tell me until now?!"

"You were crouching on the windowsill when I figured it out. How did you get up there, anyway?"

"I don't know. But that's not the point!" I hissed. "If I have PTSD, then it's time to initiate the next phase of the plan. But you already took care of that, didn't you?"

"Yes, Master Kyoya. The moment I knew you had PTSD, I ordered Sebastian to set the next stage of the plan into motion. He's laying the trap as we speak."

"Perfect."

* * *

Third Person POV

"Please," Yoshio Otori rasped, dehydrated and starving. "Just kill me."

"Not just yet, Yoshio." Sebastian chuckled. "I have a job for you."

"I'll do whatever you want, just let me go!"

"If you do this, I may consider it." Then demon freed one of Yoshio's hands and placed a pen and paper in front of him. "Now, do exactly as I tell you..."

* * *

Tamaki POV

7:02 AM

"Cut it out, Antoinette! " I laughed, rolling onto my back and sitting up. Once I'd rubbed the sleep from my eyes,I stretched out my arms and reached out to scratch beneath Antoinette's collar, just where she likes it. Right before my hand reached her, I noticed a scrap of paper attached to her collar. "Huh? What is that?"

Carefully, I removed the scrap and unfolded it. It read:

_Tamaki Suoh,_

_If you do not follow my instructions to the letter, everyone close to you - including your mother and that silly little Host Club of yours - will die._

I dropped the note in shock. _My friends... Will die? No. I can't let that happen!_ Strengthening my resolve, I continued reading.

_Do not mention this note to anyone. If you do, I will kill the entire host club. Now that we understand each other, I'll tell you what you have to do. There is a small package on your windowsill._

A quick glance at the window proved this statement true.

_Take this to school with you and place it in Mitsukuni Haninozuka's bag. More instructions will follow soon._

I dropped the note in horror. _What could this creep want me to do to Honey-senpai? Maybe I can use a decoy package and destroy the original? No, I can't risk it. But what can I do?_

* * *

Kyoya POV

4:47 PM

"That was delicious," Honey sighed, having just licked the last bits of frosting from a fork.

"Mitsukuni," Mori began. "It's time to go."

"Kay," Honey stood and made to grab his bag, but a word from Mori stopped him.

"Wait," Mori stood and rifled through the bag for a minute before pulling out a small brown package, completely unlabeled. "What's this?"

Honey shrugged. After a couple of minutes of examining the package, Mori pulled out a pocketknife and broke the tape seal. He folded the flaps of the box back, and upon seeing the contents, set the box on the table and collapsed to the floor, head in his hands.

"Takashi?" Honey ran to his best friend's side. "What's wrong?"

Mori didn't answer, just stared at the ground. Haruhi, confused, strode over and peered into the box. "Kyoya-senpai," she called, voice wavering and unsteady. "You may want to see this."

I dropped my pencil and ran over to her. My entire body began to shake when I saw the contents. _Why would Honey-senpai have that?_ I wondered, still shaking.

"Honey-senpai..." Tamaki whispered. Only then did I realize that I was on the ground. Slightly more calm now, I stood and turned to Mori.

"Mori-senpai, I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding. Give Honey-senpai a chance to explain himself." I rested a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at me before getting to his feet, concern and defeat in his eyes.

"Ah," Mori agreed, turning to Honey. The host in question was staring curiously into the box.

"What is this?" he asked, forever innocent and naive.

Ciel strode over to the box. "Opium," he whispered. "Wha- I thought we got rid of all of this! Sebastian." The demon was at his master's side in an instant. "Find out how this came to be in Honey's bag."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian flung a window open and jumped out into the mid-afternoon light.

"Honey," Ciel began, turning to the boy-lolita. "Why is there a box of opium in your bag?"

"What's opium?" he asked. "Is that some kind of sweet?"

"No, it's a powerful narcotic. If my suspicion is correct, someone planted this in your bag. The question is: Who did this, and why?" My expression became thoughtful.

"Could it be the same person who kidnapped Kaoru?" Hikaru asked.

"Or maybe it's the one who sent that statue flying at Hikaru." Kaoru wondered.

"That reminds me, did you ever figure out who was behind that?" Haruhi asked.

"No, but so far, the key suspect in both the statue incident and Kaoru's kidnapping are one and the same person. He's a grim reaper. I believe you've met him before*." Ciel explained.

"Who is it?" Hikaru asked hurriedly.

"He goes by the name of Undertaker." Ciel replied, shuddering slightly at the memory of his business associate.

* * *

**A/N: Read 'Jungle Pool SOS!' from Black Rose at Ouran by black blood of the red rose for more information about the Host Club's meeting with the Undertaker. And my apologies if you got an email saying that this chapter was up only to find it wasn't, then got another saying it was. Le website glitched out, and I had to delete it. It was literally a giant block of text with no bolding, italics, or underlining in any way. Torture to read, no?**


	28. Rocks

"Who is it?" Hikaru asked hurriedly.

"He goes by the name of Undertaker." Ciel replied, shuddering slightly at the memory of his business associate.

"Hold on," Tamaki interjected. "I don't remember anyone by that name."

"You met him at that jungle park we went to during my last visit." Ciel reminded him.

"Wasn't he the creepy guy who came out of the floor with Ren-" Haruhi was cut off by Tamaki clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Don't say her name! If you do, she'll appear again!" he hissed, glancing around worriedly.

Haruhi pried his hand away. "I don't think she's all that scary, senpai. And if I'm right he insisted on being paid in laughter. That's him, right?"

"Yes, that's him. I looked him up when we got back that day, but there was no record of him anywhere." I told them. "Now that I know he's a grim reaper, it makes perfect sense, since I was never able to find a record of Sebastian, either."

"What does a grim reaper want with us?" Hikaru asked, arm wrapped protectively around Kaoru.

"Don't you remember what that note said?" Haruhi asked, ignoring Tamaki's flinch at the word 'note'. "He wanted Ciel."

"You're telling me that Kaoru got kidnapped because of him?!" Hikaru hollered, pointing angrily at Ciel.

"And Hikaru was almost crushed by a statue because of Ciel?!" Kaoru was mad now, a rare occurrence.

"Technically, we don't know if that one was his fault," I pointed out, trying to calm the twins.

"Irrelevant!" Kaoru screamed. "Because I was kidnapped and you all briefly thought I was dead, Hikaru tried to kill himself! All of this has been Ciel's fault! He's bad luck! It has been from the beginning! If he doesn't leave, sooner or later, one of us will end up dead!"

A chill danced its way along my spine as I realized that somehow, Kaoru knew about the contract. Quick as a flash, I grabbed him and dragged him into the prep room before anyone could register what was happening.

"How did you know?" I hissed as soon as the door had closed behind me. "How did you know about the contract?"

"What contract?" Kaoru asked. I paled. _He... He doesn't know? So that thing about one of us ending up dead was just a shot in the dark? Crap! How am I going to talk myself out of this one? "_Kyoya-senpai, what contract?" Kaoru demanded.

I sighed and held my head in my hand. "I... I thought you knew."

"What the hell are you talking about? What contract? How would I know about it?" His voice was getting louder now. _Unless I want everyone to know, I'll have to tell him,_ I realized.

"Just calm down and I'll explain everything." I breathed a sigh of relief when his glare softened. "As you know, Ciel and Sebastian showed up shortly before you guys saw the scars and the abuse stopped. The reality is, it stopped _because_ they showed up. For the most part. There was still that incident when I had to go back and get my notebook. Anyway, do you know _why_ Ciel and Sebastian stopped my father?"

"Um, because they wanted to be nice?" Kaoru guessed, but his face was filled with dread.

I shook my head. "It's because of this." I rolled up my left sleeve and took off my watch, revealing the bright blue contract seal. Kaoru inhaled sharply when he caught sight of it.

"Kyoya-senpai, don't tell me that you actually... Please tell me you didn't."

"I can't do that, because I did. I made a contract with Ciel." I carefully put my watch back on and rolled my sleeve back down.

"But... Why?" he asked quietly. "Why would you... How could you throw your life away like that?" His voice increased in volume as he spoke. _He'll be shouting before much longer._

"Kaoru, please calm down. I have everything taken care of," I reassured him.

He took a few deep breaths before he spoke again. "I might've known," he almost laughed. "You're the Shadow King, for crying out loud. I should've guessed that you'd have a plan.

"Of course I do. Now, please don't mention this to anyone, because the only other person that knows is Mori-senpai. You know how the others are. There would be a full-scale riot if they found out," I pleaded.

"Alright, I won't tell them. So long as you don't die," he warned.

"Well, I guess my secret is safe." I opened the door to the prep room, surprised to see the entire Host Club standing outside, trying to listen to the conversation. Or rather, they _had_ been standing. When I opened the door, they all fell in a heap on the floor.

"Ow," Tamaki groaned. "You should really knock when you leave a room."

"And you shouldn't eavesdrop," I retorted.

"So what were you two being so secretive about? Kaoru, you can tell me, right?" Hikaru asked as he helped Haruhi to her feet.

Kaoru shot Mori a knowing look. The latter nodded, then looked to me for confirmation. I also nodded, and thus ended our conversation that consisted entirely of head movement. _It's weird how we can communicate through nods like that,_ I thought.

"It's none of your concern," I said coldly.

"Kaoru," Hikaru began, brushing off my cold, unforgiving tone more quickly than anyone else. Tamaki, for instance, vanished into his emo corner. "You'll tell us, right?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy," he answered vaguely.

"We're not getting anything out of you two, are we?" Hikaru asked.

"Nope," his brother replied.

* * *

Tamaki POV

5:12 PM

After the mini-interrogation by Hikaru, it didn't take long for everyone but the twins and me to leave. Not long after that, the twins left, too, and I was alone in the club room.

I sat on the couch for a long time, trying to figure out something - anything - that I could do to keep my friends and family safe without having to follow these horrible orders. _Maybe Kyoya knows,_ I hoped. _He_ is _the Shadow King, after all. It's not entirely impossible. No, I can't let myself think like that. I won't put my friends in any more danger. I have to find my own way out of this._

Just as I was about to leave, a rock flew through the still-open window and skidded to a stop at my feet. With shaking hands, I picked up the rock and removed the paper that was tied around it. This time, it read:

_Tamaki Suoh,_

_Good job. You followed my first order well. But I have another task for you. When you get home, you will find another note on your bed. It contains the next set of instructions. And remember, the threat to the lives of your friends and family still stands._

I sighed and let the note drift to the couch next to me, resting my head on my hands. After taking a minute to compose myself, I stood and left the music room, my face a mask of indifference. It didn't even occur to me to bring the note, just in case someone happened to return to the club room. Not until it was too late.


	29. Don't Be Right

Haruhi POV

_Ugh, I can't believe I forgot my notebook in the club room,_ I groaned inwardly as I turned on my heel and headed back in the direction of the school. _I need that to do my homework tonight. Now I have to go back and get it._

It didn't take long for me to reach the school, and it took even less time for me to get to the north hallway, where I found, much to my surprise, that the door to Music Room #3 stood ajar. Warily, I approached the crack in the door and gently pushed it open, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding when I found that it was empty.

After I'd gone and closed the window, since I didn't want to stay at the pretty much deserted school any longer than absolutely necessary, I grabbed my notebook from a table in the corner of the room and made to leave, but something small and white resting on a couch caught my eye. I didn't want to look, but in the end, my curiosity won out, and I couldn't resist sneaking a peek.

_I just want to see whose it is,_ I reasoned, and carefully picked up the note. _Okay, it's Tamaki's._ I went to set it back down, but a few words caught my eye. T_he threat to the lives?_ I wondered, curiously reading the paper.

_Tamaki Suoh,_ it read.

_Good job. You followed my first order well._

_Order?_ I thought, making a mental note to ask Tamaki about it later. Brushing it off, I continued reading.

_But I have another task for you. When you get home, you will find a letter on your bed. It contains the next set of instructions. And remember, the threat to the lives of your friends and family still stands._

I began pacing along the music room. _Tamaki-senpai... is being controlled? What is this madman going to make him do? I have to call him._ I'd already dropped the note and dialed his number before I realized that he may have had a reason for not telling us. _What threat to our lives? Is this creepy puppet-master guy going to kill us?_ I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed for the door, distracted by my thoughts. My mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour, so I didn't notice Tamaki standing in the doorway until I bumped directly into him.

"Haruhi?" he asked, face full of concern as he looked down at me. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah." I replied, struggling to hold back the words on the tip of my tongue. "I just forgot my notebook."

"Are you sure? You seem like something's bothering you." _Why does he have to pick now to be observant?_ I screamed inwardly.

"No, I'm fine," I replied, brushing past him. Once I'd rounded the corner, I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn't tried to stop me.

* * *

Tamaki POV

My heart began to race as I watched Haruhi walk away. I knew something was bothering her, but she clearly didn't want to tell me what it was.

_She'll tell her father if it's anything serious,_ I told myself, trying to calm my nerves. This proved to be in vain, however, when I turned around to get the note I'd forgotten and saw it lying on the floor, several feet from where I was sure I'd left it. _Maybe the wind blew it there,_ I hoped. These wishful thoughts were destroyed, however, when I looked to the window and saw that it was closed tightly, most likely Haruhi's doing.

_No,_ I thought desperately, as though thinking it could change the truth. _No no no no no, oh, God, please don't let me be right!_ Immediately, I took off down the deserted hall to chase down Haruhi.

It didn't take long for me to find her in the courtyard. I must've startled her, though, because she almost fell into the fountain. Luckily, I caught her just in time, which also gave me an opportunity to stare into her eyes and see what she was really feeling.

"Haruhi," I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "Please tell me I'm wrong."

"Um, okay? Senpai, you're wrong," she deadpanned, but her eyes showed a different emotion. Fear.

"Did you read it?" I asked, voice shaking.

"Read what?"

"That... That note. In the club room."

"Yes," she admitted, not meeting my gaze.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this looked longer on paper. Anyway, three chapters in one day! Epic, huh? And yes, I had to add in a little HaruTama. I'm not guaranteeing any pairings yet, though, so don't ask.**


	30. Lucky Toothbrush

**A/N: This must be some kind of record. Four chapters in one day... God, I need a life. :P But this one is a little shorter than the last. These things always look longer on paper...**

* * *

At those words, I nearly lost my grip on Haruhi, but lucky for both of us, I held fast.

"Senpai?" she whispered, but I couldn't respond. "Senpai, I'm sorry I read it. I can tell from your expression that you didn't want me to. But what was it all about?"

I still couldn't answer, just stared down into her deep brown eyes. After a few more minutes, I finally found my voice.

"Haruhi..." I pulled her into a tight hug, then sat down on the edge of the fountain, pulling her down next to me.

"I can't blame you for reading it," I explained, as reassuringly as possible. "But you need to understand that I can't tell you about it. Trust me, it's for your own good."

"What are you talking about?" She was mad, I could tell. But I was too worried to care.

"I can't explain. I'm sorry. Just... Be careful. Please." I hugged her again, then ran off to my limo.

"Bye, Haruhi!" I called over my shoulder as I slid into the seat.

* * *

7:21 PM

"Tamaki," Kyoya began, snapping me out of my daytime nightmares (would those be called daymares or nightdreams?). "Is everything alright? You seem worried about something."

"No, everything's fine." I replied, a little too quickly. "I just, uh, I forgot my...toothbrush!"

"You're worried because you forgot your toothbrush." he repeated, clearly suspicious.

"Yeah! And I'm going to call my driver so I can go get my, erm, toothbrush." I declared, jumping up.

"There's no need for that, Tamaki." Kyoya replied. "We have extra toothbrushes."

"I know, but this is my lucky toothbrush!" _This isn't going well,_ I realized._ He'll never let me go get the letter._

"Well," he sighed. "If it's that important to you, I can have one of the drivers take you to to your house so you can get this_ lucky toothbrush_ of yours."

"Thank you, Kyoya!" I cried, hugging him and running out his bedroom door. He was close-ish on my heels, but he wasn't as impatient as I was at this moment.

* * *

Kyoya POV

7:33 PM

I sat in my room, going over paperwork for my company. Sales had increased dramatically over the past year, but it wasn't be enough. _It'll take_ years_ to surpass my father at this rate!_ I groaned inwardly. Just then, my bedroom door opened, and a maid poked her head into my room.

"Master Kyoya," she called softly, her voice barely audible. "Your mother wishes to see you."

"Thank you." I replied shortly, not in the best of moods. Quickly - my mother could be just as bad as my father if you weren't careful -, I proceeded down the hall to my mother's office. "You wanted to see me, Mother?" I asked as I slipped into her office.

"Yes, Kyoya. How would you feel about succeeding your father as head of the company?"

"In all honesty, I would prefer not to. Yuuichi or Akito would be far more suited to the position."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," my mother said with a smile. "This was a test. And may I say, you passed with flying colors." She stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of me. "Congratulations, Kyoya. You are the new head of the company."

"Mother," I began, but she wasn't listening.

"Of course, you're still in high school, so I will manage the company until you're old enough. But when the time comes-"

"Mother," I tried again, a little more force behind the words now. "I don't want the position."

"Isn't this what Fuyumi said you've been working towards?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, but I have other goals in mind." I explained vaguely. "Give the position to Yuuichi or Akito." And with that, I went back to my room, leaving my mother very bewildered, I'm sure.


	31. Idiot

Tamaki POV

7:33 PM

I wasted no time in running to my room and ripping open the letter that had, until a moment ago, been resting peacefully on my bed. It's not that I was eager for my next task. Quite the opposite, actually. But I wouldn't let my friends get hurt for my sake.

_Tamaki Suoh,_

_This task requires a bit more work on your part than the last one did. I know that Haruhi Fujioka read the letter you so carelessly left lying around in Music Room #3. Because of this, she is in more danger than any of the others. You'll have to work much harder if you want to keep her safe. I have enclosed a transceiver in this envelope. Put it on. I'll tell you what to do from there. If you fail to follow my directions, the first to die will be Ms. Fujioka. Remember, I am always watching._

I glanced at the black device on my bed. _This must be the transceiver he mentioned._ Carefully, I put in the earpiece, and was almost immediately met with a computerized - yet undeniably British - voice.

"Hello, Tamaki Suoh."

"Who are you?" I asked, the radio speaker raised to my mouth. "What do you want with me?"

"My name is unimportant. All you need to know is that I am watching your every move, and that I have the power to kill any and all people close you at any given time."

"What do I have to do?"

* * *

7:55 PM

"Remember," the voice spoke in my ear. "Act natural. I'll give you specific instructions as you go."

"Hi, Kyoya," I laughed as I walked into his room, maintaining my usual happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Hello, Tamaki. I trust you got what you went for?" He didn't even bother to look up from whatever it was he was working on.

"If you're talking about my lucky toothbrush, then yeah," I replied, holding up the object.

"Sit down," the voice instructed, and I did as I was told.

We sat in silence for a while, then Kyoya spoke. "Tamaki," he began. "Is something wrong? You've been unusually quiet."

_Oh, no!_ I thought. _What am I supposed to say?_ As though he'd read my mind, the voice answered my unspoken question.

"Repeat after me. I'm just a little preoccupied, that's all."

"I'm just a little preoccupied, that's all." I repeated.

"Does what's troubling you have anything to do with what happened with Honey-senpai earlier?"

"Yeah."

"To be honest," Kyoya set down his pencil and looked over to me. "I'm worried, too. I just can't seem to figure out what would make someone go to so much trouble just to try and trick the club into thinking that Honey-senpai would ever have something like opium."

"Well, maybe whoever did it had a really good reason!" I said automatically, not stopping to think about the possible repercussions of my action.

"And what excuse could someone possibly have for doing something like that?" _Are we speaking in code right now?_ I wondered. _I think we're speaking in code. Oh, God, I don't know the code!_

"You had better not be talking in code right now," the voice growled.

"Maybe the person just wanted to protect the people close to him. He could've been put up to it," I reasoned.

"While that could be a possibility, it would beg the question, 'Who would put someone up to something like this?'"

"Maybe Honey-senpai has an enemy."

"The only person I can think of that would want to have Honey-senpai as an enemy is Yasuchika." I laughed a little at this, in spite of my situation. "Although, it's not entirely impossible that someone could be upset with Mori-senpai."

"Hey, you're right!" I realized. "That would make sense, since Honey-senpai is Mori-senpai's entire world."

"Yes, but there is still the underlying question of why." And then we dissolved into silence, broken occasionally by the scratching of Kyoya's pencil and the indiscernible voices from the transceiver in my ear.

* * *

11:17 PM

"Is your friend asleep?" the voice asked, shattering the tense silence I'd been lying in.

"I think so," I whispered, hands shaking.

"Get up and check," he growled. "But if he's asleep and you wake him up, I won't hesitate to kill you when you're of no more use to me." Needless to say, I was sufficiently freaked out by this point. So I decided to tell him just that.

"You know," I sighed as I stood, quiet and graceful as a cat. "I'm well aware that you can kill me or my friends-"

"And family."

"Right. My friends and family at any time. No need to remind me."

"Yeah, I know, but it's fun."

"How is making death threats fun?"

"I've always been a bit sadistic."

"If you weren't playing Puppet Master and threatening everyone close to me, we might actually be friends."

"Look, I don't want to do this," he sighed, the robotic depression in his voice freezing me in my tracks halfway up the stairs. "I just don't have a choice."

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not the one pulling the strings here," he admitted, then seemed to snap back to reality. "But we can talk about my emotional instability later. Hurry up and make sure he's asleep."

I crested the stairs and took a long moment to listen to Kyoya's breathing and make sure it was even. My heart nearly stopped when I realized I couldn't hear it.

Shaking violently, I raced to his side and clutched my best friend's hand in mine, feeling for a pulse in the same way that he had when he'd checked to see if Kaoru was still alive. My nerves calmed a little when I felt the strong beat beneath my fingers, but I was still shaking. His pajama sleeve fell back a little, and a soft blue glow emanated from beneath it. Curious, I pulled it back a little more, revealing a glowing blue rose surrounded by a ring of thorns. A sharp gasp sounded from the transceiver as the mark was revealed. _Maybe this has something to do with his family's medical business?_ I wondered, but pushed the thought to the back of my mind and remembered where I was, resolving to ask Kyoya about it tomorrow.

"What is it?" I asked softly, letting his hand fall to his side.

"Unbelievable," was all the answer I got.

"What's unbelievable?" I asked, back on my couch now.

"That mark... It's... I never knew that the boy would go to such lengths."

"What lengths?"

"But who? I didn't know they were... Perhaps..."

"Please finish your sentences!" I hissed. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" The voice chuckled. "Well, it's not my place. Ask him yourself. Now, is he asleep?"

"Yes."

"Good. There's a small package in the bathroom. You'll put this in Kaoru's bag. Keep the transceiver with you. I'll tell you what to do next tomorrow."

"Alright." And the line went dead.

* * *

Voice POV

I sighed and pressed the button that would kill the transmission, stretching my arms out and getting to my feet. Once I'd gathered up all of my equipment, I ran across a few rooftops to my patron.

"Is it done?" the stoic demon butler in front of me asked.

* * *

Kyoya POV

7:29 AM

I sat up blearily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I prepared to give anyone in the immediate vicinity a look that could kill. But no one was there. I sighed in irritation and rolled out of bed, still tired, but knowing I had to get up. Tamaki was downstairs, happy-go-lucky as always.

"Hurry up, Kyoya! We'll be late if you don't get ready soon," he laughed. I glanced at the accursed clock. _Stupid thing didn't wake me up,_ I groaned inwardly. It took a minute for the numbers to register, but once they had, I was in and out of the shower in five minutes flat, surprised to find food already waiting for me. I enjoyed the soft, warm muffin in silence, one that was quickly shattered by the curious blonde.

"Hey Kyoya," he began. "What's with that weird tattoo on your arm?"

"What tattoo?" I asked. _Is he talking about the contract seal?_

"You know, the one on your wrist." _Yep, he's that much of a moron. It's the contract seal._

"I don't have a tattoo on my wrist."

"Then what is it?"

"What's what?"

"That blue thing on your wrist."

I pulled back my right sleeve, hoping he didn't remember which wrist. "There is no blue thing on my wrist."

"But I was sure..." He trailed off. "I guess it was just a dream."

"Come on, Tamaki. We're going to be late." I stood and left my room, the slightly deflated King following close behind me.


	32. Undertaker

Tamaki POV

4:23 PM

The host club was just closing for the day when I got the next instructions from this mystery puppetmaster.

"Okay," he whispered through the transceiver I was still wearing, per his instructions. "You need to open the window next to your table. Then drop the box into Kaoru's bag. I'll take it from there. Just pretend you don't know anything. Oh, and throw the transceiver out the window when you open it."

I walked over to the window he'd specified, discreetly removing the earpiece and speaker before casually tossing them into the midafternoon light, smiling when they landed in the pond. As I turned around, I noticed Haruhi giving me a strange look, so I smiled warmly at her.

"Why'd you open the window, senpai?" she asked.

"I just thought we could use some fresh air," I explained, and she turned back to her textbooks. _Now to drop this box into Kaoru's bag,_ I thought as I walked by allowing the small package to fall from my fingertips. Once that was done, I returned to my table and marveled at how incredibly easy that had been.

"Is something wrong, Tama-chan?" Honey-senpai asked, looking up at me with concerned, innocent eyes.

"Not at all, Honey-senpai." I gave him a warm smile.

"Well, then do you want to have some cake with me?" He was all smiles now.

"Sure." We'd just stood up and were headed for the snacks when there was a shattering sound and an evil laugh. I spun around and saw a figure crouched in front of a broken window, long white hair contrasting with his dark cloak. "Who... WHO IS THAT?!" I screamed.

"_Undertaker_?!" Ciel yelled. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see why I never got the pleasure of fitting you for one of me coffins, Earl Phantomhive." Undertaker straightened up, his hair covering his eyes. _Was he... Was he the one threatening my friends?_ I wondered as I cowered behind the couch.

"You could've just written me a letter," Ciel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I heard you made a contract with a human." Undertaker gave a small nod in my direction, and I cowered even more. "I wanted to see if it was true for meself."

"Ci-chan made a contract? With who?" Honey asked. Mori and Kaoru paled a little, Haruhi was thoughtful, and Hikaru just looked mad. I didn't get a chance to see Kyoya's reaction, though, because he wasn't hiding behind the couch.

"If you _did_ make a contract with someone, they'd have to either be a host or a guest. Demons have to stay close to their contractors, right?" Haruhi asked.

"That is correct, Ms. Fujioka." Sebastian answered from behind us. I spun around - without getting up, which is no easy task - and saw the butler's glowing pink eyes, flying over the couch in terror. After all, this Undertaker character was definitely the less scary of the two.

* * *

Kyoya POV

My eyes shot up as a shattering sound rang through the club room. There was an odd figure with long white hair crouched in front of a window I would assume he'd just crashed through, shards of glass glittering on his black cloak.

"Who... WHO IS THAT?!" Tamaki screamed, leaping over the back of a couch to hide. I closed my laptop, keeping a wary gaze on the newcomer.

"_Undertaker_?!" Ciel yelled. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?!"

"I came to see why I never got the pleasure of fitting you for one of me coffins, Earl Phantomhive." Undertaker stood, glass raining to the floor around him with a soft tinkling sound, hair hanging in front of his eyes. _It took him long enough,_ I thought. _And he could've used the open window. He's a grim reaper, after all. They have mad parkour skills, right?_

"You could've just written me a letter," Ciel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I heard you made a contract with a human." Undertaker gave a not-so-discreet nod in Tamaki's direction, causing the blonde to cower even more. "I wanted to see if it was true for meself." I tensed, feigning surprise.

"Ci-chan made a contract? With who?" Honey asked, poking his head above the couch.

"If you did make a contract with someone, they'd have to either be a host or a guest. Demons have to stay close to their contractors, right?" Haruhi asked.

"That is correct, Ms. Fujioka," Sebastian answered from behind the fear-stricken group. They screamed, and Tamaki leapt over the couch again, landing a few feet from Ciel, who chuckled. Sebastian went on, "We demons are the predators, and our contractors are our prey. We must follow any order given to us by our prey, and follow them wherever they go. This ensures that the prey can never escape."

"So who made a contract with you, Ciel?" Hikaru asked.

"I've been ordered not to tell you that," the demon answered shortly, still obeying the third order I'd ever given him.

"Can you at least show us the contract seal?" Honey pleaded. "I want to see it."

I gave Ciel a discreet nod. "Alright," he sighed, then pulled off his left glove, revealing the softly glowing blue contract seal. Everyone crowded around him to see, but Tamaki was left on the outside of the circle. After a minute, he figured out that he was considerably taller than Ciel and could just stand behind him. His eyes got really wide when he caught sight of the seal, and then he fainted. Literally. An honest-to-God faint.

"What's with him?" Hikaru asked.

"Who knows?" Kaoru replied. "We should probably get him on a couch or something."

"Yeah. Or," Hikaru got that mischevious glint in his eyes. "We could mess with him."

"Please refrain," I sighed. "Clearly something caused him to collapse. We don't want to scare him more. I can't see that ending well for any of us."

Hikaru groaned. "Aww, we never get to have any fun."

Mori lifted the unconscious Tamaki off the ground and carried him over to a couch, where he left the King to sleep.

"Why did Tama-chan faint?" Honey asked.

"Maybe the seal reminded him of something," Mori pointed out, gently nudging him in the right direction.

Undertaker laughed a little, and Haruhi looked at him curiously. "What could possibly be funny right now?" she asked.

"I know where he's seen that symbol before," the reaper chuckled.

"Where?" Hikaru asked, running over to the Undertaker.

"All right, I'll tell you. For a fee," he smirked.

"What fee? How much do you want?" Hikaru reached for his wallet.

"I don't want money. I have no use for it. No, I want the precious gift of true laughter!" Undertaker looked giddy at the mere _thought_.

"Ooooookay?" Honey drew out the word. "Everyone, get your best jokes ready!" he ordered.

"I don't see why you're bothering with this," I sighed. "So long as we know it's not one of us, there's no reason to try and find out who made the contract."

"You have a point, senpai." Haruhi conceded. "But how can we be sure that it isn't one of us? Whoever made the contract may not want us to know that he did."

"You know who it is?" Kaoru asked, looking at her curiously.

"No, but I know it's not me, so if it _is_ a club member, it would have to be one of you guys." she explained.

"Come to think of it, Kyoya-senpai is the only one of us who didn't want to see the contract seal." Hikaru pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right." Haruhi agreed. "Why is that?"

"I saw no reason to." I said dismissively.

"But why?"

"Well, I already know who made the contract." I didn't even bother to look up from my notebook.

"And you waited until _now_ to tell us that?!" Hikaru hollered.

"Calm down," I ordered, standing up. "I didn't think the information would benefit us. You had no need to know."

At this moment, Tamaki came to, falling off the couch in the process.

"Ugh, my head," he groaned.

"Ah, you're awake." I noted, glancing over to the Host King.

"So, boss," Hikaru walked over to Tamaki and helped him to his feet. "Why'd you pass out in the first place?  
"Uh, I don't really know," the blonde replied after a minute of deliberation. "I remember that something terrified me, then everything went black."

"So you don't know why you passed out when you saw Ciel's contract seal?" Haruhi asked.

"Not really, no," Tamaki confirmed.

"Maybe it would help if you saw it again," Hikaru suggested, and at a discreet nod from me, Ciel walked over and showed the King the bright blue seal. Tamaki screamed and promptly lost consciousness for the second time in the space of ten minutes.

"Oh, not again! Honey groaned. Hikaru and Kaoru got a couple of pitchers of water and dumped them on the unconscious lord's head. He spluttered and sat up, glaring at the twins.

"Stop doing that!" Kaoru sighed, the faintest trace of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Tamaki had stopped glaring at the twins at this point, and was now staring at the floor. Haruhi knelt in front of him and tried to get him to look up. "Senpai?" she whispered. "What's wrong?"

"Why?" he asked. "Why, Kyoya? Are you just _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

"What are you talking about? Boss, do you have brain damage from when you hit your head?" Hikaru asked.

"I don't have brain damage!" Tamaki insisted.

"Then what are you talking about? Kyoya-senpai hasn't done anything to get himself killed since that pseudo-suicide attempt on the mountain!"

"Then explain the contract seal!" I paled.

"Easily! Ciel made a contract with someone, but they..." Hikaru trailed off as the puzzle pieces fell into place. "You... You... You idiot!" he screamed at me. "Are you really _that_ stupid? You've had yourself resigned to death for God knows how long! Why?! What do you get out of making a contract?!"

"Kaoru, please calm your brother down. And Mori-senpai, please do the same for Honey-senpai. Haruhi, you handle... Oh, right. You didn't know, either. Ciel, if you don't mind?" I dictated instructions to everyone before turning to my demon.

"Yes, Master Kyoya." Ciel turned to the Undertaker and explained the reaper's next task.

I turned back to the club. Mori and Kaoru were soothing Honey and Hikaru, Haruhi clearly had no idea what to think anymore, and Tamaki looked ready to kill Ciel. "I'm sure all of you are very confused. Well, aside from Kaoru and Mori-senpai; you two already knew. Anyway-" I was cut off by Hikaru, who was now glaring fiercely at his twin.

"You knew?!" he screamed. "You knew this entire time, and you didn't bother to tell me?!"

"I haven't known for very long," Kaoru tried weakly. But Hikaru wasn't listening.

"You should've told me as soon as you found out!"

"But Kyoya-senpai said-"

"I don't care what Kyoya-senpai said! You should have told me!"

"Kyoya-senpai said he had a plan!" This got Hikaru's attention. He stopped screaming, a relief for my ears.

"Is it true, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked from Mori's lap. "Do you really have a plan?"

"Yes, that's true." I confirmed.

"Well, what is it?" Tamaki asked, taking a break from trying to kill Ciel with his gaze.

I sat down in my chair with a sigh. "Get comfortable," I warned them, then started from the beginning.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! This chapter is extra-long. Please review!**


	33. Reapers Don't Die

"So, that's the entire plan?" Tamaki asked as I finished filling them in on what I intended to do.

"For the most part, yes." I turned to Hikaru, who was busy trying to kill Undertaker. The reaper in question was talking to Sebastian about the goings-on in London as though Hikaru wasn't there at all. "Hikaru, _please_ stop trying to kill the grim reaper."

"But it's all his fault!" he whined. "I almost _died_ because of him! We thought Kaoru was dead because of him! All of this never would've happened if he'd just stayed out of it!"

I groaned and rested my head on my hand. "I already told you, he was acting on my orders. None of you were ever in any real danger."

"Then why was Kao-chan covered in blood when we found him?" Honey asked.

"That? It was from one of my family's hospitals. If you'd bothered to compare the type of blood Kaoru was covered in with his actual blood, you would have found that they were two completely different types. And didn't you find it odd that he was covered in blood but didn't have a single scratch on him?" I explained, adding the question as an afterthought.

"Then what about the bruises?" Kaoru walked over to his brother and dragged him back to the couch.

"Those were, regrettably, real. Nothing serious, though, and unintentional. I suppose I did tell Ciel and Sebastian to make it look authentic, though." I mused.

"So was he behind this?" Tamaki asked, holding out a folded-up piece of paper that looked like it'd been carried to America and back. I carefully unfolded the scrap and read the words written there, but not before making note of the familiar handwriting.

_Tamaki Suoh,_

_If you do not follow my instructions to the letter, everyone close to you_

I stopped reading, handing the letter back to Tamaki. I already knew what it said, anyway. "Yes, Undertaker delivered the letters, and he was the one giving orders through the transceiver. But I had Sebastian make my father write them, and I also decided what they'd say."

"Tama-chan was getting notes from Seb-chan?" Honey asked.

"Yes, Honey-senpai. He had me totally convinced, too." Tamaki confirmed. "But I'm not exactly proud of what I did."

"What exactly did you do?" Kaoru asked. The king said nothing in response, just handed Kaoru the note and stared down at his hands, ashamed. Hikaru leaned over to read it too, and I watched with no small amount of satisfaction as their faces morphed from intrigue to horror, then finally Kaoru's melted into understanding while his brother's hardened into fury.

"You..." Hikaru whispered, staring, irate, at the paper in his brother's hand. "You BASTARD!" He flew at Tamaki, ready to tear out Host King's throat with his bare hands, but Mori stepped into his path and shielded the shocked blonde from the shaking, murderous ginger. Hikaru slammed into Mori and fell backwards, skidding along on the ground before coming to a stop at Kaoru's feet.

"Perhaps you should give Tamaki a chance to explain?" I suggested. Kaoru laid a comforting hand on his twin's shoulder, but it did nothing to calm him, and he continued to shoot daggers at Tamaki, who was using Mori as a human shield.

"Hika-chan, let me see it." Honey walked over to the twins and picked up the note, his expression blank as he read the words.

"Senpai, no!" Kaoru cried.

Honey crumpled the note in his small fist and looked over to Hikaru. "Tama-chan didn't want to do what he did, Hika-chan."

"Then why did he?" Hikaru growled.

"I thought they would kill you all if I didn't listen!" Tamaki squeaked.

"He's right," Undertaker added, walking over to our little group. "I did say I would kill you. But I was under strict orders from the young Earl not to kill any of you."

"Hold on," Haruhi interrupted. "If none of us were in any danger, does that include when Hikaru..." She trailed off, quickly getting lost in thought.

"As I said before, none of you were ever in any mortal danger." I reminded her.

"But how could you have let Hikaru do that if we weren't in danger?!" Kaoru screamed, getting angry at the way his brother's safety had been allowed to mutilate himself.

"That was his own doing." I said calmly. "Had we stepped in sooner, he may have made a more serious attempt at taking his own life before we could tell him that you were still alive."

"But he could have _died_!"

"I had Ciel and Sebastian under strict orders to prevent all casualties."

"You can order Sebastian around?" Tamaki asked curiously, glad - for the first time - that the attention was off of him.

"But _how_?"

"It's quite simple, really." I nodded to my demon and his butler, and they immediately set to work on the broken window and the shards of glass littering the pale pink floor. "Ciel is contracted to me, and Sebastian is contracted to Ciel. So, by extension, Sebastian is contracted to me."

"Let me get this straight." Before Tamaki could continue, Haruhi asked the one question I'd been hoping to avoid.

"That reminds me. Where is your father, Kyoya-senpai?"

I gave a small sigh. "He is... How do I say this without causing a riot? He is currently... being detained."

"Detained where?" Mori asked, and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that if I told him my father's location, he would personally see to it that he died.

"He will no longer be able to cause us trouble. That is all you need to know. I don't even know where he is," I lied.

"Then how do you know he really _can't_ cause any more trouble?" Kaoru asked.

"Simple. I ordered Ciel to make sure he was out of the way."

"You can do that?" Tamaki was clearly not understanding the dynamics of the Faustian contract.

"Yes, that's how these things work." I stood and made for the door, but something Haruhi said made me pause and turn back to her as I reached the doorway.

"Wait a second. The reason for Ciel's contract with Sebastian is his revenge on the people that killed his parents. But what's the reason for your contract with Ciel?" she asked.

I looked around at the club, a mischevious glint in my eye. "I'll leave that up to your imaginations." And with that, I closed the grand doors behind me as I left the club room.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry. This looked considerably longer in my notebook. But oh, well... You guys are lucky I was able to post this so soon. I got writer's block about 3/4 of the way through, and now I have no idea what to do next. If you have a suggestion on what you want to happen, please put it in a review. They are brain fuel, and my brain's currently running on empty. I honestly don't know how.**


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